Man enters guilty plea in September fatal accident

A Campbell man pleaded guilty Wednesday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court to a charge of aggravated vehicular homicide, for his role in a September accident that killed a passenger in his car.

Deone Cray, 20, of Monroe Street, will be sentenced at 9 a.m. May 21 by Judge R. Scott Krichbaum. Prosecutors are recommending a sentence to be served in the county jail as well as probation.

Cray also faces a suspension of his driver’s license for no less than three years and up to his entire life.

Cray made the plea as the case was set for an evidence suppression hearing before Judge Krichbaum.

Police said a car driven by Cray was eastbound on Indianola Avenue Sept. 15 approaching Hunter Street when the car went out of control and hit a vacant building. Delouis Clark, 31, a passenger in the car, was killed.

Speed was a major factor in the crash, police said.

A charge of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs was dropped in exchange for Cray’s plea.

The family of Clark was in court Wednesday. Judge Krichbaum asked assistant Prosecutor Nick Brevetta if he had consulted with Clark’s family before offering the plea, and Brevetta said he did.

Cray was indicted by a grand jury for the crash in January.