MANSLAUGHTER CASE City man pleads guilty

The case was set for trial, but ended in a plea.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Members of John Cannell Jr.'s family said they can begin healing now that his killer has pleaded guilty and been sent to prison.
"A lot of heartbreak and misery has been felt by our entire family since Nov. 25, 2002," said Cannell's sister, Pia Frank, who lives in North Carolina. "If there is any consolation in this, it's the closure that my family receives today."
Cannell, 32, of Quentin Drive, was shot once in the chest outside a house on West Woodland Avenue on the city's South Side. Authorities said he was trying to retrieve his wife's wedding ring, which she had traded for crack cocaine the night before.
Arthur Barron III, 30, of Carroll Street, pleaded guilty Monday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court to involuntary manslaughter, tampering with evidence and illegally possessing a firearm. The involuntary manslaughter charge was reduced from murder.
Prison sentence
Judge James C. Evans sentenced Barron to a total of 10 years in prison, which was the sentence recommended by prosecutors in a plea agreement. Cannell's wife, Michelle Cannell, and his mother, Antoinette Cannell, also said they are relieved to finally have closure.
Barron was scheduled for trial Monday on the original charges, but instead decided to accept the plea bargain.
The judge sentenced Barron to seven years in prison for involuntary manslaughter, five years for tampering with evidence and one year for the weapon violation. Those sentences will be concurrent to each other, but consecutive to a mandatory three-year sentence for using a firearm, which accounts for the 10-year total.
Barron was tried for murder in February 2003, Judge Evans declared a mistrial after jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict, which is required in Ohio criminal cases.
Reason for other charges
During that trial, Barron admitted throwing away the gun he used to shoot Cannell and that he was prohibited by law from owning a gun, which is why the additional charges were brought against him. Barron admitted shooting Cannell, but said it was self-defense.
"I didn't mean for nothing like that to happen," Barron said before he was sentenced. "I grieve for the [Cannell] family. I've been there. I understand."
If he had been convicted on all counts this time, he could have faced a maximum sentence of 21 years to life in prison, said defense attorney Douglas B. Taylor.
Assistant Prosecutor Jay Macejko said he believes the plea and sentence was a fair resolution to the case.
bjackson@vindy.com