YOUNGSTOWN — The best Ethan Richmond, 19, and his attorney could hope for Tuesday was that Mahoning County Common Pleas Court Judge Maureen Sweeney would adopt the sentence of 11 to 15 years in prison being recommended by the prosecution and defense.

Richmond pleaded guilty in March to voluntary manslaughter in the Sept. 8, 2023, shooting death of Vincent Tarver, 22, in the parking lot of the Compass West Apartments in Austintown and felonious assault in the shooting of Tarver’s girlfriend in the same incident. There were two co-defendants in the case, but prosecutors say Richmond was the shooter.

Defense attorney Lou DeFabio asked Sweeney for the 11 to 15 years for Richmond, of Austintown, who was 17 at the time of the shootings, saying the reason Richmond was indicted on manslaughter is because, “This was a full-out fight that day between groups of people, including Ethan and, candidly, he was getting the worst of that fight,” DeFabio said.

DeFabio said body camera videos and police reports make it clear that the episode fits the description of “the heat of the moment,” noting that Richmond “had never really been in trouble before, comes from a good family, accepted responsibility from the beginning, even more importantly cooperated with the (prosecution), which of course led to a conviction in the case.”

NO COMMENTS

Richmond did not offer any remarks before the judge announced Richmond’s sentence. Prosecutors never got any response from Tarver’s family when they were contacted to let them know the date and time of the sentencing hearing, Assistant County Prosecutor Rob Andrews said. Tarver’s girlfriend did not wish to be present for the sentencing, Andrews said.

Sweeney transferred Richmond’s charges to Mahoning County Common Pleas Court so he could be tried as an adult.

An Austintown police report stated that witnesses saw three males arguing with Tarver before shots were fired. The three were seen fleeing toward Westgate Boulevard.

After speaking to witnesses, police arrested Richmond on Sept. 9, 2023. He was charged in juvenile court with murder with a three-year firearm specification, felonious assault with the same specification and tampering with evidence.

Austintown police said the shooting resulted from an alcohol-fueled argument. Police say Tarver’s girlfriend apparently was among a group of people at the Compass West apartment complex. She called Tarver to come to her aid after getting into a confrontation, police said.

When Tarver arrived, he got into a fight with members of the group, and Richmond shot Tarver and his girlfriend during a scuffle, police said.

CO-DEFENDANTS

A co-defendant in the case, Talim D. Mumin, now 23, also of Austintown, pleaded guilty in January to charges of complicity to voluntary manslaughter and complicity to felonious assault with two gun specifications and was sentenced to 6 to 7 1/2 years in prison.

Mumin “was complicit” in Tarver’s death and the shooting of Tarver’s girlfriend, Mahoning County Assistant Prosecutor Rob Andrews said at Mumin’s plea and sentencing hearing.

Talim Mumin was indicted on charges of murder and felonious assault. His brother, Tylan Mumin, now 19, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of obstructing justice and got two years of probation.

Austintown police said Talim Mumin and Tylan Mumin tried to hide the murder weapon, which police later found in an Austintown home. In addition to the Mumin brothers and Richmond, prosecutors said a juvenile girl also was charged with evidence tampering.

Andrews said earlier that Talim Mumin’s plea agreement reflected that he “was not the shooter. The shooter is Ethan Richmond.”

Austintown police said the shootings happened about 10 p.m. outside of 990 Compass West Drive. Witnesses told police they heard arguing in the parking lot shortly before shots were fired.

Police arrived to find Tarver on the ground with gunshot wounds to the neck, upper chest and leg. They found his girlfriend inside the apartment with a gunshot wound to her right side.

Officers administered first aid while they waited for ambulances to arrive. Both victims were taken to St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital, where Tarver was pronounced dead. Police collected his girlfriend’s clothing as evidence.

A police report states one witness had video on a phone that showed part of the altercation. Some witnesses told police they knew who was arguing with the victims and said one of them, a white male, repeatedly lifted his shirt as if reaching for a gun.