YOUNGSTOWN Judge sets $1 million bond for man charged with murdering girlfriend

The Youngstown man's trial is set to start Sept. 10.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- A judge doubled the bond of a 21-year-old city man who police say murdered his girlfriend in her car, threw her to the street and took the vehicle to leave the crime scene.
Judge James C. Evans of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court ordered Tremaine Brown, 24, of Florencedale Avenue held in the Mahoning County jail on $1 million bond after a Tuesday arraignment. Brown was indicted two weeks ago on a charge of murder with a gun specification, and was being held on $500,000 bond at the county jail for the past two weeks.
His trial is scheduled for Sept. 10.
Youngstown police say that on June 18 Brown murdered his girlfriend, Tawonna Thomas, 21, of Stansbury Drive, on Youngstown's North Side.
Account
Police said Brown and Thomas had an argument inside Thomas' apartment before the shooting. Thomas went to her car to go to sleep and to get away from Brown, police said.
A witness told police that Brown followed her outside, pulled a semiautomatic pistol out of his pocket and pointed it toward the car. Brown tried to fire the gun, but it didn't go off, the witness told police.
Brown then walked up to the vehicle, continuing to argue with Thomas, and shot her in the head, police said. Police found a large-caliber shell casing near the victim's body.
Brown then pulled Thomas out of the car and drove away, police said. Thomas was found lying in the street in front of her next-door-neighbor's apartment. She died less than two hours after being shot.
Thomas' car was found in Campbell a day later with the keys inside.
Five days after the shooting, police arrested Brown in Campbell, a few blocks from where Thomas' car was found.
Brown contends the shooting was an accident.
skolnick@vindy.com