Long prison term given in shooting of child

YOUNGSTOWN — A man who pleaded guilty in the fatal drive-by shooting of a 3-year-old girl on the city’s East Side has been sentenced to 28 years to life in prison.

Judge Maureen A. Sweeney of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court imposed the sentence Thursday on Stoney Williams, 19, of Dorothy Avenue, in the May 5, 2007, fatal shooting of Cherish Moreland of Hilton Avenue, who was shot in the head from a car on Stewart Avenue.

The sentence consisted of 20 years to life on the aggravated murder charge, plus five consecutive years for firing a gun from a motor vehicle and three consecutive years for firing a gun at or into a house, meaning Williams will be eligible for parole after 28 years.

Read more in Friday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com