Special prosecutor will review Youngstown ballistics case

AKRON — Summit County Common Pleas Judge Patricia A. Cosgrove has decided to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate allegations of compromised ballistic evidence that led to last month’s dismissal of an aggravated murder case against a Mahoning County man.

Judge Cosgrove said on Wednesday that she wants the case investigated by someone with no Summit or Mahoning County ties and that her proposed order will be discussed at the monthly meeting of Summit’s general division judges next week.

Last month, Judge Cosgrove dismissed all charges in the aggravated murder case against Arian S. O’Connor, 30, of Youngstown. O’Connor was charged in October with the 2002 execution-style slaying of Javan Rogers, 24, of Akron, after Youngstown police allegedly switched shell casings from that crime scene and the scene of an unrelated drive-by shooting involving O’Connor less than two weeks later.

Those assertions were made in open court on April 7 by Assistant Summit County Prosecutor Gregory Peacock, who told Judge Cosgrove a trial in the case ‘‘would not be in the interest of justice for either the defendant or the victim’s family.’’

Judge Cosgrove granted Peacock’s request, calling the compromised evidence ‘‘a situation that strikes at the very heart of our democracy and our justice system.’’

Read more in Thursday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com