MAHONING COUNTY Judge sentences local woman to prison in death of aunt

Authorities still don't know what caused the initial argument.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Alicia Gibson looks forward to the day she can hear her mother's heartbeat again, even though her mother died nearly 18 months ago.
Evelyn Huffman, 45, was shot in the abdomen by her niece, Christina Homa, after the two had argued at Huffman's Funston Avenue home in January 2003. Huffman was Gibson's mother.
Homa, 22, of East Myrtle Avenue, was sentenced to seven years in prison Thursday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, where she had pleaded guilty in April to one count of voluntary manslaughter. The charge was reduced from murder in a plea agreement with prosecutors.
Judge James C. Evans also imposed a mandatory three-year sentence because Homa admitted using a gun, making her total prison sentence 10 years.
By law, she will get credit for more than 500 days she spent in the county jail while her case was pending.
Daughter's comments
During the emotional sentencing hearing, Gibson told Judge Evans that she donated her mother's heart to a 61-year-old physician, who received it through a transplant. Gibson said she writes back and forth to the man monthly, and they plan to meet someday.
"And I will be able to hug him and put my head on his chest and hear my mommy's heart beat once again," Gibson said through heavy sobs.
Gibson recalled her mother as a hard-working waitress with a loving heart who opened her home to people in need, including Homa, whom she helped raise.
Homa, who appeared stoic during Gibson's comments, also become emotional as she spoke to the judge.
"I know I can never mend the wounds that are on their hearts," she said, referring to Gibson and Huffman's other relatives. "I can't forgive myself for what I've done, and I don't expect anyone else to forgive me."
Assistant Prosecutor Jay Macejko said authorities are still unsure what sparked the argument between Huffman and Homa that led to the fatal gunshot.
Homa was high on cocaine that night and does not recall what happened, said defense attorney John B. Juhasz.
He said Homa had fallen into a life of drug abuse because of domestic problems at her home.
"She was going around in life with a chip on her shoulder," Juhasz said. "She was on a downward spiral to nowhere."
bjackson@vindy.com