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Man sentenced to 23 years to life in New York Avenue murder

YOUNGSTOWN — Mekhi Venable apologized to the family of Jacob Moore on Thursday during his sentencing hearing in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.

Venable also told Judge Maureen Sweeney he is “just as lost as them,” because “I have been taken away from my daughter, my family. I’m lost. I can’t sleep.”

Venable, 20, killed Moore, 21, by shooting him Sept. 29, 2022, on New York Avenue on the city’s North Side in a conflict involving Moore and others. Venable argued he shot Moore in self-defense, but prosecutors said Moore had given his gun to someone else to hold and was unarmed when Venable shot Moore from inside Venable’s car.

Prosecutors during the hearing said Moore will never get to see his child, and Venable said, “I feel bad for that baby who has to grow up without a father, and I know what that is because I grew up without a father in my life.”

Venable added, “I did love Jacob, and that is what everybody failed to realize. I don’t know how to feel. That’s all.”

Sweeney then sentenced Venable to 23 years to life in prison, the maximum penalty. Ohio law required Sweeney to sentence Venable to at least 15 years to life in prison for his murder conviction. But the defense and prosecution argued in recent filings over whether Venable could get another eight years in prison on two gun specifications. The judge sentenced Venable on both. Venable was convicted at trial of murder and two gun specifications.

The judge gave Venable the sentence recommended by prosecutors.

Pat Fening, county assistant prosecutor, said Moore’s death “really broke their family. At the time Jacob was killed, his fiance was pregnant. Because of the defendant’s actions, he was never able to meet the child.”

Venable of Logan Avenue, Moore and others met up twice that day, once at Venable’s house and again later on New York Avenue. Several of Moore’s friends were there at both confrontations. Venable, who testified at his trial, argued he shot Moore in self-defense.

A woman who testified said Venable, Moore and others met up at Venable’s house on Logan Avenue first and talked about a conflict over money and marijuana.

Later, Moore, two other men, and the woman were on New York Avenue, and Venable was “not supposed to be” there, but he was, she said.

She said Venable’s car pulled up, “Words got exchanged between them. After that, they pretty much agreed to fight,” she said of Moore and Venable.

She said everyone agreed to put their guns down and fight. Moore gave his gun to another man with him and went over to Venable’s car and waited for Venable to get out of the car. He didn’t get out and “pretty much he pulls out his gun and shot him,” she said of Venable.

In opening statements in the trial, Venable’s attorney, John Juhasz, said the jurors would hear a different story also during the trial — that Moore and the others had weapons and Venable was in his car, but Moore “didn’t lay down his weapon, and (Moore) was coming at the car, not with the (pistol) laid aside but with (a pistol) in his hand and that he pointed it at Mekhi Venable telling him that he was going to kill him.”

Juhasz said Venable, “in those seconds, perhaps milliseconds, thinking he would be shot dead, reached down in the car, pulled out a gun and shot Jacob, not to kill him but to keep himself from being killed.”

GUN SPECIFICATIONS

In filings this week, the defense and prosecution weighed in on whether Venable should be eligible to be sentenced on both gun specifications or just one. Juhasz argued the double jeopardy guarantee in the due process clause in the U.S. Constitution guarantees no person “be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb.”

But Rob Andrews, county assistant prosector, argued that “clearly it is the legislature’s intent to take firearm specifications very seriously” and that the two firearm specifications in this case “are not to be treated as identical issues.”

The lesser of the two specifications — a three-year gun specification — is for having a firearm in his possession while committing another offense. The five-year gun specification is for discharging a firearm while in a motor vehicle other than a manufactured home.

Have an interesting story? Email Ed Runyan at erunyan@vindy.com. Follow us on X, formerly Twitter, @TribToday.

Man sentenced to 23 years to life in New York Avenue murder

Mekhi Venable

YOUNGSTOWN — Mekhi Venable, 20, who was convicted at trial of murder and two gun specifications in the Sept. 29, 2022, shooting death of Jacob Moore, 21, on New York Avenue on the city’s North Side, was sentenced to 23 years to life in prison today.

Venable, of Logan Avenue, was in a dispute with Moore and others the day of the killing, and it resulted in two confrontations, the second of which resulted in Venable shooting Moore, who claimed he acted in self defense. Several of Moore’s friends were there when it happened.

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