Kyle Patrick gets 16 years for murder

YOUNGSTOWN

Kyle Patrick began sobbing Tuesday the moment Judge John Durkin overruled his motion to withdraw his guilty plea in a 2012 murder.

Patrick, 19, tearfully told Judge Durkin in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court that the judge was making a mistake — just before he was sentenced to 16 years to life for the murder of Michael Abighanem, 27, of Thalia Street.

“You’re making a big mistake, your honor,” Patrick said.

Patrick had pleaded guilty Feb. 10 to charges of murder, aggravated robbery and tampering with evidence just before jury selection was to begin in his trial. He filed a pro se motion about a week later to withdraw his plea and his attorney, Mark Lavelle, filed a similar motion March 7.

Patrick is one of two men accused of killing Abighanem, who was shot after Abighanem and a friend went to a house on Silliman Street on the West Side about 4:30 p.m. April 27, 2012, so Abighanem could sell a video-game system and a laptop computer.

The other defendant, Reginald Whitfield, 23, was sentenced to 13 years in prison after pleading guilty the day after Patrick did to charges of involuntary manslaughter, voluntary manslaughter and a firearm specification. During that hearing Judge Durkin said it was apparent that in talking to the lawyers in the case that it was Patrick who lured Abighanem to the home and it was Patrick who fired the gun used to kill Abighanem.