WARREN Man accused of murder waives right to jury trial

WARREN -- A three-judge panel will hear the capital murder case of a city man accused of the shooting deaths of two men.
Eric Porterfield, 28, of Colt Street, waived his right to a jury trial at a hearing Friday before Judge W. Wyatt McKay in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.
The panel will begin hearing the case Oct. 24.
Porterfield, Dennis Gosset, 35, also of Colt Street, and Ronald Shaffer, 20, of Newton Falls, were indicted in the June 23 shooting deaths of Garry D. Bell, 40, of 3066 state Route 5, Leavittsburg, and Charles Mathey III, 40, of Milton Boulevard, Newton Falls.
Porterfield pleaded guilty April 2, then withdrew his plea May 4.
Shaffer has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Gossett is serving 20 years.
Police said Porterfield and Shaffer wounded David Harper, 38, of Prospect Street, Newton Township, in the same crime.
Gossett was with Shaffer and Porterfield shortly before they went to Harper's home to rob him of money and drugs, police said.