Indictment in case of two men found in burning car

YOUNGSTOWN — A suspect has been indicted on aggravated murder charges with death penalty specifications in the deaths of two young men found by a fisherman in a burning rental car Aug. 11 on West Avenue near the Mahoning River.

Lorenza I. Barnette, 27, of Lora Avenue, was indicted today in the deaths of Jaron L. Roland, 20, of Fairmont Avenue, and Darry B. Woods, 19, of the city’s North Side. The victims were first cousins.

The death penalty specifications say Barnette killed two or more people and committed the murders while committing aggravated robbery, kidnapping and arson.

Barnette is also charged with two counts each of kidnapping and aggravated robbery, which name the two dead men as victims, and with arson in the torching of the rental car.

Roland and Woods were bound with duct tape, and each had a bag placed over his head.

After 15 minutes at the scene, the fisherman noticed flames coming from the late model car’s driver’s side door and looked inside, but he couldn’t see anything because of the smoke.

The victims were found after firefighters arrived at 6:52 p.m. and extinguished the blaze.