Ferrara trial | Former deputy testifies about fingerprint evidence

Ferrara trial | Former deputy testifies about fingerprint evidence

YOUNGSTOWN

A former Mahoning County Sheriff’s deputy who helped process a triple homicide in December 1974 is testifying this morning in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court for prosecutors against 64-year-old James Ferrara.

Mike Finamore, who is retired from the department, walked jurors through the South Turner Road home where Benjamin Marsh, his wife Marilyn and 4-year-old daughter Heather were found murdered Dec. 14, 1974.

He also explained how fingerprints were collected and stored.

Under cross examination, however, Finamore said he was assisting the state Bureau of Investigation agent collecting the evidence and did not collect any himself, even though he had some training in evidence collecting.

When asked repeatedly why he did not collect evidence, Finamore said the command staff at the scene made the decision to have BCI handle the evidence because of the enormity of the crime and that he was ordered to assist.

Ferrara was indicted for the murders in June after his prints were matched in 2009 to prints were found at the scene.

The agent who collected these for BCI is dead and so are the detectives who investigated the case.