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VIDEO: Davis indicted in East Side fire that killed six
Video
Davis indicted in East Side fire that killed six
YOUNGSTOWN — The Mahoning County grand jury today returned a 29-count indictment against the young man charged with setting the fire that killed six people last week in an East Side house, including aggravated murder charges with death penalty specifications and aggravated arson charges.
The indictment was returned against Michael A. Davis, 18, of 817 Bennington Ave., in what authorities call the largest mass murder in the city’s history.
Davis will be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. Friday before Judge Timothy E. Franken of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court. Davis’ lawyer, Martin Yavorcik, said his client would plead innocent to all counts.
The aggravated murder counts name each of the six victims: Carol Crawford, 46; her daughter, Jennifer R. Crawford, 23; and Jennifer’s four children, Ranaisha, 8, Jeannine, 5, Aleisha, 3, and Brandon, 2, all having perished in upstairs bedrooms. An accelerant was ignited on the porch sometime after 5 a.m. Jan. 23 at 1645 Stewart Ave., fire investigators said.
The aggravated arson charges name the six people who died, five people who escaped from the burning house, and eight injured city firefighters.
Services for the victims will be at 10 a.m. Saturday in New Bethel Baptist Church, 1507 Hillman St., where friends may call one hour before services. Calling hours also will be from noon to 7 p.m. Friday at L.E. Black, Phillips and Holden Funeral Home, 1951 McGuffey Road.
For the complete story, see Friday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com.