YOUNGSTOWN Victim's family tells of murder's impact

Ohio law requires mandatory sentences, leaving the judge no latitude.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
and BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITERS
YOUNGSTOWN -- The mother of Daniel Wilkerson said the sentencing today of her son's killer to 18 years to life is a bittersweet moment.
"The impact this crime has had on our family is hard to put into words," read a victim's impact statement from Dorothy Wilkerson of Youngstown. The statement was read in court by Assistant Prosecutor Kelly Johns.
"My husband and I never thought that one day we would have to bury one of our children. I can tell the court that this is the hardest thing any parent could do in their lifetime," the statement read.
Shawn Greene, 30, of West Warren Avenue, shot Wilkerson's son once in the abdomen during an argument in the kitchen of Greene's home in April 1999. Wilkerson, who was known as "Pap," died the next day, on his 24th birthday.
"Birthdays in our family are no longer celebrated, out of guilt for our loved one who was murdered on his," Wilkerson continued in the statement.
Greene declined through his attorney, James Gentile, to make a statement today.
The position of the defense was that it was an unfortunate matter that occurred that day, Gentile said.
Judge Maureen A. Cronin delayed sentencing until today so members of Wilkerson's family could attend and address her. She had no latitude in the sentence she could impose, though.
Under Ohio law, murder carries a mandatory prison term of 15 years to life. Greene was also convicted of using a gun to commit the crime, which added another mandatory three years.
The terms must be served consecutively.
Judge Cronin told those in the courtroom today that they should reflect on what can occur when in the presence of firearms.
How this happened
At the time of the killing, Greene lived with his girlfriend, Shawndea Bell, who was Wilkerson's former girlfriend and the mother of Wilkerson's six children.
Wilkerson showed up at the house, uninvited and unexpected, while Greene was sitting at the table eating a bowl of stew for supper.
Greene immediately went into a bedroom and got a .22-caliber handgun he'd kept hidden under a mattress. He took the gun back to the kitchen, where an argument between the men ensued.
Bell testified that she had interceded and was leading Wilkerson out of the house when Greene shot him. Wilkerson staggered outside and collapsed in the yard.
Greene fled and was arrested 24 hours later at a house in Warren.
Wilkerson's mother's statement said that the victim's two brothers got tattoos in honor of their brother.
"When I asked them why they did that, and didn't it hurt, they both replied that they never wanted to forget and that the hurt inside could never compare," her statement said.
Greene's side of the story was that during the argument, Wilkerson reached toward the waistband of his pants as if going for a gun. Because Wilkerson had threatened in the past to kill him, Greene feared for his life and pulled the trigger.
A jury of 10 women and two men didn't buy that, though, and convicted him Monday after just two hours of deliberation.