Trial for ex-coach set for Feb. 27

WARREN -- A former Warren G. Harding High School basketball coach accused of killing his wife is headed for trial late next month in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.
Officials said Monday's pretrial hearing was the final one expected before the trial Feb. 27 for David Jenkins of Warren.
Jenkins is accused of murder in the strangulation death of his wife, Deana Jenkins, May 20, 2004, in the Clearwater Street Northwest home the couple shared with their two children.
Deana Jenkins' body was found in a closet. A 911 tape shows police were called by a female neighbor to the Jenkins' home about 8:30 p.m. that day. The woman said she was asked by someone from the Jenkins' family to call police because their phones were not working.
Another neighbor called 911 a few minutes later asking for an ambulance and police. When the dispatcher asked for more details, the woman handed the phone to a Jenkins family member who said Deana Jenkins was not breathing and was found in a closet, according to the 911 tape.
David Jenkins, 42, was the head girls basketball coach at Harding for two years. He also worked at the Rebecca Williams Community Center and was a pastor at New Jerusalem Church.
Deana Jenkins, 39, worked for 10 years at the Trumbull County Child Support Enforcement Agency as an enforcement specialist.
If convicted, Jenkins could face 15 years to life in prison, said Chris Becker, the assistant Trumbull County prosecutor handling the case. The trial will be held in the courtroom of Judge Peter Kontos.