Trial testimony to begin today for man charged in ’08 slaying

STAFF report

WARREN — Howland police say two Warren men, including Oryan Miller, entered Cameron Murray’s apartment off East Market Street in Howland last December to rob him.

Gunfire erupted, killing Murray near the front doorway and fatally wounding Delshawn Scrivens.

On Tuesday, lawyers picked a jury and viewed Murray’s apartment on Sandpiper Trail a short distance west of Howland High School as Miller’s trial began on charges of complicity to murder, complicity to aggravated burglary and complicity to aggravated robbery.

Opening statements and testimony will start this morning in the courtroom of Judge Andrew Logan in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.

One of the chief witnesses expected in the case is Michael Ahladis, 24, of Jefferson Street Southwest, who told investigators he went with Miller, 19, of Hall Street Northwest, and Scrivens, 25, of Wood Street Southwest, to the Bazetta Wal-Mart to buy ski masks and gloves before he dropped Miller and Scrivens off at the apartment.

Police say they secured store videotape of the men making their purchases.

Ahladis said he picked up Miller and Scrivens a while later and helped them get to separate hospitals for treatment of their gunshot wounds. Scrivens didn’t recover from multiple gunshot wounds to the abdomen and died in the hospital.

Miller was treated for a gunshot wound to the buttocks.

If convicted of the charges, Miller could be sentenced to at least 15 years to life in prison.

Ahladis has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and other charges in exchange for his testimony.

Murray, 21, was a KraftMaid employee who had moved into the condominium about four months before the 4 p.m. Dec. 23 attack. He had lived on Homewood Avenue in Warren before that.