Davis lawyer worried his client can’t read

YOUNGSTOWN — The lawyer who represents the man accused of a fire that killed six people wants a mental evaluation done, concerned that his client can’t read.

Youngstown attorney Martin E. Yavorcik said Tuesday that he discovered the problem when he brought legal documents to 18-year-old Michael A. Davis at the Mahoning County jail.

Davis, of Bennington Avenue, is charged with six counts of aggravated murder and 11 counts of aggravated arson and is being held in solitary confinement without bond.

“He didn’t finish high school and says he can’t read at all,” said Yavorcik, who was court-appointed to represent Davis. “He wouldn’t look at the papers I brought and said, ‘I can’t read,’ so I have concerns.”

Yavorcik said he will request a mental evaluation for his client once the case is assigned to a judge at Mahoning County Common Pleas Court. He is aware that the case will be presented to a grand jury on Thursday and that prosecutors want the death penalty.

Carol Crawford, 46, her daughter Jennifer R. Crawford, 23, and Jennifer’s four children, Ranaisha, 8, Jeannine, 5, Aleisha, 3, and Brandon, 2, all perished in upstairs bedrooms at their Stewart Avenue home. An accelerant on the porch was ignited sometime after 5 a.m. Jan. 23.

For more, see Wednesday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com