Jury recommends life sentence for convicted killer Lorenza Barnette

YOUNGSTOWN — A jury has recommended a penalty of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for Lorenza Barnette, after it convicted him last week in a double suffocation murder more than two years ago.

After two hours of deliberations, the jury delivered its recommendation today to Judge Maureen A. Sweeney of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, who will sentence Barnette at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

The jury convicted Barnette, 29, of Lora Avenue, of aggravated murder, kidnapping and arson in the Aug. 11, 2009, deaths of Jaron L. Roland, 20, of Fairmont Avenue, and his cousin, Darry B. Woods-Burt Jr., 19, of the city’s North Side.

The victims were found dead in a burning car by the Mahoning River off West Avenue, their heads encased in plastic bags and duct tape.

Two other defendants in this case, both facing the death penalty, will have jury trials before Judge Sweeney at a later date.

For the complete story, read Wednesday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com