Man committed Akron murder several months after Youngstown robbery
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YOUNGSTOWN -- Denzel Pope, 22, was sentenced to 4 to 5 1/2 years in prison Wednesday for a Feb. 11, 2024, aggravated robbery with a gun in Youngstown. He had an address of 2803 South Avenue in Youngstown at the time.
His sentence will be served in addition to the 30-years-to -life Pope received last August for an Akron murder, which took place several months after the Youngstown aggravated robbery and two misdemeanor cases. Pope was free on bond in the Mahoning County aggravated robbery case at the time of the Akron murder, according to court records.
During Pope's plea and sentencing hearing Wednesday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, Mahoning County Assistant Prosecutor Ed Walsh said the aggravated robbery took place as the victim was leaving a Family Dollar store in Youngstown.
Pope approached the victim, brandished a gun, held it to the victim's head and robbed the victim of the items in his pocket -- his wallet, keys and food, Walsh said. Mahoning County Common Pleas Court Judge Anthony Donofrio sentenced Pope, giving Pope credit for the 30 days he spent in the Mahoning County jail awaiting trial.
Pope was sentenced last August to 30-years-to-life in prison for the July 2024 Akron murder. In that incident, Corvette Pope, 27, Denzel Pope's sister, and Paige Calich got into a fight at the Summit Lake Apartments in Akron, according to Summit County prosecutors.
About two hours later, Denzel Pope and Corvette Pope walked from Corvette Pope's apartment to Calich's apartment, according to a news release from the Summit County Prosecutor's Office.
There, Calich's 3-year-old son walked out of the apartment first, followed by Paige Calich.
"When Denzel (Pope) saw Calich walk onto her porch, he shot her with a shotgun. Denzel and Corvette fled the scene, and Denzel later fled the state," the Summit County Prosecutor's news release states.
"Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority camera footage, text messages between the codefendants and witness testimony connected the Popes to the crime," the release states.
Denzel Pope was convicted at trial in Summit County Common Pleas Court of murder, two counts of felonious assault and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Corvette Pope pleaded guilty in May of 2025 to involuntary manslaughter and obstructing official business in the Akron murder case and was sentenced to 5-to-7.5-years in prison.
Corvette Pope also had a criminal case in Mahoning County, according to a search of local court records. She had an Akron address in 2020 when she was charged by Boardman police with misdemeanor theft at the Boardman Walmart. She was convicted.
In addition to the Feb. 11, 2024, aggravated robbery case in Youngstown, Denzel Pope was charged with one count of misdemeanor theft that occurred Dec. 6, 2023, at a restaurant on Glenwood Avenue in Youngstown and one misdemeanor theft March 26, 2024, at a drive-thru on Midlothian Boulevard in Youngstown, according to Youngstown Municipal Court records.
Denzel Pope pleaded guilty to the Dec. 6, 2023, theft April 17, 2024, in Youngstown Municipal Court and was sentenced to probation the same day. He also pleaded guilty to the March 26, 2024, theft at the Youngstown drive-thru April 17 and was sentenced to 12 days already served in the county jail.