Jury finds Gilchrist innocent in slaying

By Ed Runyan

Two defendants in the case told police they were innocent witnesses.

YOUNGSTOWN — A jury has found a 26-year-old city man innocent of charges that he aided three other people in killing Demar L. Flores on March 17, 2008.

Reginald Gilchrist Jr., of Mistletoe Avenue, could have gotten life in prison if convicted of complicity to aggravated murder. The jury also found him innocent of complicity to aggravated robbery.

The trial was held before Judge Maureen A. Sweeney in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.

Defense attorney David Betras told the jury in closing arguments Tuesday that Gilchrist was innocent because he had no intention of committing a crime, even though he participated in its planning.

“Someone must have the intent to commit a crime, and they must have done the crime,” Betras said.

In the case of Gilchrist, he went to the location where a crime was committed, but at the last moment, he changed his mind, telling his co-defendants, “I’m out,” Betras said.

“When push came to shove, he bailed out,” Betras said, adding that Ohio law is designed to allow someone to change his or her mind about participating in a crime so that the crime might be avoided.

“The mere presence of him at the crime scene is not enough,” Betras said.

Flores, 18, of Eliot Lane, was shot four times in the driveway of 54 Rutledge Drive and later died of his injuries at the hospital.

Police said the investigation pointed to a planned robbery, with Flores being lured to the house on Rutledge.

Sarah L. Beck, 38, of the Rutledge Drive address, and Charles E. Smith Jr., 30, of East Florida Avenue, are charged with murder and aggravated robbery in the case. Hassan Merriweather, 22, of the Rutledge address, is charged with complicity to aggravated robbery.

Beck and Merriweather told police they were just witnesses to the shooting. They said Flores was in a vehicle in the driveway when two suspects approached, one of them demanding money before shooting Flores in the back.

Police didn’t believe Beck and Merriweather, however, and concluded that Beck and Merriweather were involved.

Rob Andrews, an assistant county prosecutor, said Gilchrist was the second man who approached the car.

Betras said plans for the robbery kept changing, and Gilchrist stayed away from the car when he saw that Smith had a gun.

runyan@vindy.com