YOUNGSTOWN Judge sentences man to 11 years in prison

The defendant maintained his innocence even as he was being sentenced.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Jerome Brooks was sentenced to 11 years in prison Wednesday for trying to shoot a man he believed was his romantic rival.
Brooks, 45, of East Philadelphia Avenue, insisted that he's not the one who fired a sawed-off shotgun toward 50-year-old Robert Bell in the parking lot of the Augusta Market in August.
In fact, he says it never happened.
"You know, I'm not that stupid to get out of a car and shoot at a man in a crowded parking lot," he said.
But during his trial, several witnesses said they saw Brooks fire the double-barrel weapon.
The shot missed Bell but shattered the windshield of his car.
A jury took only about 20 minutes to convict Brooks of felonious assault with a firearm specification.
Judge R. Scott Krichbaum imposed the maximum sentence of eight years for felonious assault and a mandatory three-year term for using a gun.
Accusation
During the sentencing hearing, Brooks said it was Bell's then-wife who broke the windshield of the car after she'd found out that Bell was having an affair with Brooks' girlfriend.
He said Bell paid all the witnesses to lie against him in court.
Assistant Prosecutor Deena Calabrese said Brooks was angry because he thought Bell was having an affair with Brooks' girlfriend, which Bell denied.
"Mr. Brooks' actions were outrageous and he deserved the maximum sentence today," Calabrese said.
Defense attorney Jeffrey Limbian asked Judge Krichbaum to consider the fact that Brooks was provoked into action by his furor over the perceived relationship between Bell and his girlfriend.
"The victim induced and facilitated this offense," Limbian said, noting that no one was hurt in the shooting.
bjackson@vindy.com