Jury in murder case to begin deliberations

Jury in murder case to begin deliberations

YOUNGSTOWN

Attorneys have offered closing statements and the jury will begin deliberating this afternoon in a murder trial that could result in lengthy prison sentences for two Youngstown teens.

Deandre M. McCreary, 16, of West Woodland Avenue, and Rayshawn Royal, 17, of Cohasset Drive, are on trial for aggravated murder and aggravated robbery with gun specifications in the June 18, 2011, fatal shooting of Brandon Adkins.

The trial is before Judge Maureen A. Sweeney of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.

Police found Adkins, 16, of East Philadelphia Avenue, a Chaney High School student, lying in the driveway of a house in the 3100 block of South Avenue, shot in the back, abdomen and right forearm, and surrounded by a large crowd.

The case against the two teens weighs heavily on the testimony of three female teenagers who witnessed the shooting, but Attorneys Anthony Meranto and Jeffrey Limbian, representing the defendants, and Robert J. Andrews, an assistant county prosecutor, differ on how jurors should interpret that testimony.

For more on this story see Tuesday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com.