Man accused of beating girlfriend

By Joe Gorman

jgorman@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

A Mahoning County grand jury Thursday indicted suspects in two homicides last month in Youngstown.

Larry Johnson, 39, was indicted on a charge of murder in the New Year’s Eve death of his girlfriend, Lashea Parker, who was found by a neighbor inside her home in the 3400 block of Shelby Road about 2 p.m. Dec. 31.

Also indicted was Traniqua Floyd, 22, of Atkinson Avenue, in the death of Jamar Jones, 2 months, who died of injuries after being left in a home in the 700 block of Pasadena Avenue on the South Side by his mother Dec. 12.

Both are expected to be arraigned Tuesday before Judge R. Scott Krichbaum of common pleas court.

Johnson was a suspect in Parker’s death from the onset of the investigation and was found by U.S. marshals in Columbus about 6:30 p.m. New Year’s Day in the parking lot of a Walmart. He was being held in the Franklin County Jail until Wednesday, when he was brought back to Youngstown. He is in the Mahoning County jail awaiting his arraignment.

Police say that Parker’s four children were asleep in her home when she was beaten to death by Johnson, and they woke up and discovered her body. Later, they were playing in their yard, and one of them had no coat on despite bitterly cold weather,

A neighbor noticed and went over to check on the children and found Parker’s body after the children told the neighbor their mother was dead.

A neighbor of Parker’s who watched the children for them while they processed the crime scene said Parker used to do her hair and that Parker had confided in her that Johnson had been physically abusing her over the past couple of months.

Johnson faces charges of aggravated murder, murder and aggravated robbery because Parker’s car was taken.

Police say Jones was left at the Pasadena Avenue home by his mother, and officers were called to the home about 8 p.m. Dec. 12 after the baby was found not breathing.

The baby was taken to the Boardman Campus of Akron Children’s Hospital and then transferred to the main facility in Akron where he later died.

Detectives said an autopsy by the Summit County Coroner’s Office determined that Jamar had severe injuries to his head and brain that caused his death.

Floyd faces charges of murder, felonious assault and child endangering in Jamar’s death. Court listings show no prior criminal charges filed against her in Mahoning County.

She had yet to be taken into custody late Thursday afternoon.

The grand jury also returned an indictment against Darrell Peterman, 51, of Brookline Avenue, on charges of felonious assault and tampering with evidence for purportedly stabbing a man in the parking lot of the Boardman Walmart on Nov. 30.

Boardman police said Peterman stabbed the man after they got in an argument about a handicapped-parking space. He is free on bond.