Students testify in robbery trial

By Ed Runyan

A Youngstown police officer described putting the suspect in a sleeper hold.

YOUNGSTOWN — The three female Youngstown State University students robbed at gunpoint near their on-campus apartment last April say the experience hasn’t made them feel unsafe on campus — though it has made them more cautious.

The women — two sisters and a cousin, all from Columbiana County — testified Wednesday during the aggravated robbery trial of Willie Lee Davis, 39, of Youngstown in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.

Closing arguments are expected today.

“It could have happened anywhere,” one of the women, a 21-year-old commuter, said outside of the courtroom after she had testified.

All three are still YSU students. Two of them were freshmen living in privately owned apartments on campus.

It also helps them to know that the university has beefed up security since the incident, one of them said.

“I try to be more aware of my surroundings,” one said.

Campus police say violent crime on campus is rare — there was just one robbery reported in all of 2006 and no murders, rapes, aggravated assaults or robberies on campus in 2005.

One of the two 19-year-olds robbed that day said she and her cousin/roommate, along with her roommate’s 21-year-old sister, were going out at about 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 22, 2007, for fast food when the robbery occurred.

The three were trying to get into the 21-year-old’s Dodge Neon when one of the women heard a voice from over her shoulder saying, “Don’t move.”

She turned to see a man in a white cap, blue and white button-down shirt and patterned denim jeans pointing what appeared to be a gun at them.

“He said he doesn’t want to kill us but he will if he has to,” she testified.

She identified Davis in the courtroom as the man with the gun, which turned out to be a toy made to look real.

Only one of the women had money — $10 — and she gave it to the robber before he got into the Neon and drove off.

Also testifying Wednesday was Youngstown police officer Mike Marciano, who described the high-speed chase that occurred after he spotted the Neon on Albert Street just a few minutes after the robbery.

He followed the car onto Kimmel Street, which dead-ends into some woods.

The driver, who matched the description provided by one of the victims, fled into the woods on foot, followed by Marciano.

When Marciano caught up with him about 100 yards into the woods, the suspect was on his hands and knees. Marciano knew the suspect might have a gun.

Davis, who had spent time in prison previously for an aggravated burglary, told Marciano: “I’m not going back. You’ll have to kill me.”

Marciano, a black belt in karate, was holding his service revolver but didn’t want to use it.

He tried to push over Davis to put him in handcuffs, but Davis turned around, grabbed Marciano by the waist and “tried to take me down,” Marciano said.

Marciano tried to holster his firearm but couldn’t. He hit Davis four to six times with the gun before it flew out of his hand.

“He started to get up, so I put him in a sleeper hold,” Marciano said.

In about five seconds, Davis fell unconscious and was eventually handcuffed by a YSU police officer.

A sleeper hold is when someone puts an arm around someone’s neck from the back, supported by the other arm enough to cut off the victim’s blood flow.

After hearing Marciano’s testimony, the three victims expressed their appreciation for Marciano’s bravery.

“It makes me feel good to know someone who doesn’t even know me is willing to risk his life ...,” one of the women said.

runyan@vindy.com