City man pleads guilty to negligent homicide

The victim, who didn’t realize she had been shot, drove herself home and died of internal bleeding from the gunshot wound.

STAFF report

YOUNGSTOWN — A city man who had been charged with murder will be home in time for the holidays.

Tyrell Ravnell, 19, of Halleck Street, was charged with murder in the Feb. 22, 2008, shooting death of Diana Noble, 39, of Howland, who was shot while buying crack cocaine.

Last month, the prosecution and defense worked out a plea agreement with the murder charge being amended to negligent homicide. The gun specification was dropped. Ravnell pleaded guilty to negligent homicide and to improperly handling a firearm in a motor vehicle.

Judge Lou D’Apolito of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court sentenced Ravnell on Monday to 180 days in jail on the negligent homicide charge and 124 days in jail plus two years’ probation on the improper-handling charge — a total of 304 days. That followed the recommendation of prosecutors. Ravnell was given credit for the 241 days he’s already spent in jail.

Had Ravnell been convicted of the murder charge, he could have been sentenced to between 15 years and life in prison, plus three years on the gun specification.

Noble, shot in her left side while near the Michael J. Kirwan Homes in Campbell, drove herself and her live-in boyfriend to their home on Stillwagon Road. Authorities have said that she didn’t know she had been shot, and she died of internal bleeding from the gunshot wound.

Charges against two Campbell men had previously been dismissed.

Dominique Lucky, 19, of Gordon Avenue, and Christopher J. Hill, 25, of Jackson Street, had been indicted in Noble’s death.

Prosecutors had believed that Hill provided the gun that may have been used to kill Noble hours before the shooting, but they sought dismissal, saying witness testimony wouldn’t place Hill at the scene of the shooting.

The witness who had allegedly seen Hill provide the gun to the shooter was homeless and was difficult to locate, prosecutors have said, adding that the man’s testimony would be considered weak.

Prosecutors also have said it appeared that police charged Hill and Lucky to get them to cooperate in the investigation of Ravnell.