New witness statements surprise defense lawyer

The trial pertains to a homicide that occurred more than 31‚Ñ2 years ago.

staff report

YOUNGSTOWN — The capital murder trial of Antonio Jackson went into an early weekend recess, and jurors were sent home Friday morning as the lawyers studied newly discovered witness statements.

Jackson, 28, of Summer Street, is charged with the Aug. 6, 2005, aggravated murder, aggravated robbery, kidnapping and rape of Sierra Y. Slaton, 19, of Vestal Road.

Slaton’s body was found floating in McKelvey Lake the day after she died from multiple gunshot wounds to the head.

The trial, in which testimony began Wednesday, is before Judge John M. Durkin of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.

Jackson’s lead defense lawyer, John B. Juhasz, who asked the judge to declare a mistrial, said in court that he had just learned of the statements Thursday evening.

Juhasz said the prosecution had not provided them to the defense before the trial began as required by the rules of evidence discovery.

The statements from the witness, one handwritten and unsigned, and the other sworn, were given to the prosecution in October 2006, Juhasz said.

The witness said the other defendant, Antwon Lanier, 25, of Mahoning County Jail, who will be tried on the same charges beginning May 4, confessed the crimes against Slaton to him in detail and named Jackson as the killer.

The judge, who expressed frustration over the new disclosure, told the lawyers he wasn’t ready to rule on the motion for a mistrial, and he told the jurors to return to the court at 9 a.m. Monday.

Dawn Cantalamessa, assistant county prosecutor, told Judge Durkin she did not know that the defense lawyers had been unaware of the statements until Thursday.

Judge Durkin noted that multiple prosecutors have handled this case over the past 31‚Ñ2 years.