YOUNGSTOWN Prosecutors won't seek death penalty

The three remaining defendants were accomplices, not the main offenders, the prosecutor says.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Three people charged in the kidnapping, killing and burning of a 24-year-old Warren man won't face the death penalty.
Motions were filed Wednesday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court to dismiss death-penalty specifications against Kateo Patterson, 19, of Arch Street; Bobbie Beal, 23, of Hilton Avenue; and Clemons Higgins, 16, of Arch Street. Higgins is being tried as an adult.
They are charged with the May 2000 slaying of Steve Skinner. All are charged with two counts of aggravated murder and kidnapping, and single counts of aggravated robbery, aggravated arson and conspiracy.
A conviction on the aggravated murder charges could have resulted in the death penalty, but prosecutors don't want to go down that road now.
Who made a deal: A fourth suspect, 23-year-old Frank Sinkovich of Bennington Avenue, pleaded guilty in September to reduced charges in exchange for a recommended 23-year prison sentence.
He's expected to testify against the others, and his sentencing is postponed until after all their cases are finished.
Patterson's case is the next one scheduled for trial. It's set for Jan. 8, but will likely be postponed, said assistant prosecutor Timothy Franken.
Only after he pleaded guilty did prosecutors learn that Sinkovich apparently was the main offender, said Prosecutor Paul Gains. Since the others are accomplices, not primary offenders, the chances of a jury's imposing the death penalty are slim.
He said they're still facing 40 years to life in prison if convicted of all charges.
Another case: Gains and Franken said the recent case of Anthony Anderson has caused them to more carefully weigh which cases involve the death penalty.
Anderson was convicted of killing a 21-year-old woman, her 4-year-old son and her unborn baby. He also faced the death penalty, but the jury could not agree on whether to impose it and he was ultimately sentenced to life in prison without parole.
A unanimous decision is required for imposition of the death penalty. In Anderson's case, one juror refused to vote for it.
"The Anderson case was quite a shock to everybody, in light of the circumstances," Gains said.
He and Franken said death-penalty cases take longer to try because of the more intensive pretrial questioning of jurors and are more expensive because of the complexities involved. In this case, the defendants still face stiff penalties if they are convicted, Gains said.
Court records say the group lured Skinner to Beal's house, then beat and robbed him. They placed him in the trunk of his car, drove it to an area behind Sacred Heart Church on Youngstown's East Side, poured gasoline on it and set it on fire with Skinner still inside.
bjackson@vindy.com