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3rd defendant in slayings makes deal
By ED RUNYAN
WARREN
Prosecutors have struck a deal with another of the defendants in the killings of Wilneice L. Green, 28, and her 13-year-old daughter, Ja-Brajsia, in exchange for her cooperation.
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Appollonia Baker
The Greens were killed Nov. 15, 2009, in their home on Northgate Drive in Liberty.
Appollonia E. Baker, 25, of Miller Street, Youngstown, pleaded guilty Thursday in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court to two counts of complicity to involuntary manslaughter and single counts of complicity to aggravated burglary and tampering with evidence.
She remains in Trumbull County Jail in lieu of $2 million bond.
Her plea agreement calls for her to receive a six-year prison sentence Oct. 21 if she cooperates and testifies against other defendants.
Meanwhile, a Trumbull County grand jury has indicted a co-defendant, Marquese J. Floyd, 26, of Atkinson Avenue, Youngstown, on two counts of aggravated murder, plus single counts of aggravated burglary and tampering with evidence.
If convicted of those charges, Floyd could be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Baker is among three defendants who already have pleaded guilty to lesser offenses in exchange for their testimony. Another defendant has agreed to take a lie-detector test in hopes of seeing her charges reduced.
Police say Baker was the driver of the car containing five people that went to Green’s Northgate Drive home to kill Semmie Shorter, 38, because of allegations that Shorter had sexually assaulted a young female relative of some of the defendants’.
Shorter was a friend of Wilneice Green’s. He subsequently fatally shot himself.
Police say Baker and the four others went to the back door of the Green residence, but Baker stayed outside while the killing took place.
Police say Floyd went inside the house with James Christian, 20, of Dale Street, Youngstown, and Melvin L. Turner, 36, of Maryland, but they didn’t find Shorter there.
Though it was not planned, Turner then shot and killed Green and her daughter, witnesses said.
Turner is confined in Maryland on unrelated charges.