Suspect pleads innocent in deaths of two

He used paint to burn the bodies, an affidavit said.
By ED RUNYAN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- A 25-year-old Girard man in court Wednesday on double murder charges in Newton Township said he burned the body of one victim to eliminate his DNA and other evidence, a document reveals.
Jermaine McKinney of Holly Drive killed Rebecca Cliburn, 45, of Warren and her mother, Wanda Rollyson, 70, in Rollyson's Newton Township home Dec. 21 after going there to rob them, according to an affidavit.
McKinney pleaded innocent to two counts of aggravated murder and one count each of kidnapping, aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary and aggravated arson.
McKinney was reserved as he stood before Judge W. Wyatt McKay of Trumbull County Common Pleas Court, answering "Yes, Sir" when asked if he understood his rights. McKinney is being held without bond.
Court-appointed lawyer Lawrence R. Smith of Akron stood with his client.
Previously arraigned were Jazzmine "Jazz" McIver, 21, of 1300 Roberts St., Warren, charged with complicity to aggravated robbery; and Keyatta J. Riley Hines, 20, of 2072 Coit St., Warren, charged with complicity to aggravated robbery and complicity to aggravated burglary of Rollyson and Cliburn and complicity to kidnapping Cliburn.
McKinney also was arraigned Tuesday in Youngstown Municipal Court on charges that stem from his arrest Jan. 1 at 71 Halleck St. McKinney faces 14 counts of felonious assault on a police officer and one count of having a weapon under disability in that standoff.
In the affidavit
Hines gave a videotaped statement to police detailing events that occurred after she and McKinney hatched a plan to take Cliburn from a Warren apartment to Rollyson's house at 3754 Newton-Bailey Road -- and rob Rollyson and Cliburn there.
Hines said the plan was for McKinney to get Cliburn to go to the house under the pretext of having sex while Rollyson was at church, and to have McIver come later to assist with the robbery.
Hines said around 6:30 p.m. Dec. 21, she drove McKinney and Cliburn to the house and returned to Warren to get McIver. Hines and McIver arrived at the house around 9 p.m., and Hines entered to find an elderly woman in a "big puddle" of blood.
Hines said she did not see Cliburn, but McKinney told her he had "beat her with a crowbar." McKinney also later told Hines he had shot Rollyson twice in the head.
At that point, Hines followed McKinney's directions to find items of value in the house. She took Rollyson's ATM card, driver's license, credit cards, cell phone and $93 in cash, she said.
McKinney told Hines he was concerned about authorities finding his hair, sweat and DNA on Cliburn after having sex with her -- and that he used paint to burn both bodies, Hines said.
Evidence recovered
McIver, who stayed in the car at Rollyson's residence, then drove Hines and McKinney to Youngstown, where McKinney got other clothing. The three then went to a vacant house in the Sharonline area and he burned clothing from himself and Cliburn and other items such as gloves, Hines said.
They then drove to McKelvey Lake and threw the crowbar and McKinney's shoes into the lake, but the items did not break through the ice. Sgt. Peter J. Pizzulo of the Trumbull County Sheriff's Office recovered bloody boots, linens and a crowbar on the lake two days later.
Authorities were first alerted to the suspects when they began their investigation Dec. 22 and found a message on Rollyson's home answering machine that a Western Union wire transfer had been recently attempted using her credit card. Investigators found that around 11:30 the night before, a Western Union operator received a call from someone claiming to be Rollyson and seeking $2,500 to be given to Amy Corll, 26, of Hubbard, a former girlfriend of McKinney.
"When Western Union denied the transfer, McKinney said, 'How could they have talked to the card holder when she's dead?'" Corll said in the affidavit.
Corll's statement
Corll also gave a videotaped statement to investigators, telling them McKinney had called her around 10 p.m. Dec. 21 asking her to meet him at her house. She left her job at Denny's restaurant in Liberty and went home, where he met her around midnight.
Around 1 a.m. in a house identified as McKinney's father's girlfriend's, Corll said McKinney told her "he had killed two people," and to "watch the news and you'll understand." This was about 18 hours before the discovery of the bodies.
At one point, the affidavit notes, there was some talk among McKinney, Hines and McIver of killing Corll -- who is pregnant.
Police said both slain women were burned beyond recognition and were identified by the jewelry they were wearing.
Cliburn had been under indictment on charges of aggravated trafficking in cocaine and aggravated trafficking in drugs when she was killed.
The bodies were found at 5:42 p.m. Dec. 22 when Melissa Barry of Austintown, Cliburn's daughter and Rollyson's granddaughter, went to Rollyson's house to check on her.
runyan@vindy.com