Davis murder trial starts Thursday

YOUNGSTOWN — Opening statements in the capital murder jury trial of Michael A. Davis will be at 8:30 a.m. Thursday before Judge R. Scott Krichbaum of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.

Davis, 18, of Bennington Avenue, is on trial on a 29-count aggravated arson and aggravated murder indictment with death- penalty specifications in the Jan. 23 East Side house fire that killed six people.

Carol Crawford, 46; her daughter, Jennifer R. Crawford, 23; and Jennifer’s four children, Ranaisha, 8; Jeannine, 5; Aleisha, 3; and Brandon, 2, died in the blaze. Five other people escaped from the burning house at 1645 Stewart Ave.

The prosecution expects its case will take three days to present. The defense expects its case will take no more than two days to present.

Twelve regular jurors and two alternates were seated when jury selection concluded Wednesday morning. The process began with a Friday orientation attended by 106 potential jurors.

For the complete story, see Thursday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com.