43
Clinkscale gets six years for '09 shooting death
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
A man who entered guilty pleas in the death of a man during a 2009 shootout was sentenced to six years in prison Thursday.
Brandon Clinkscale, 29, received the sentence from Judge John Durkin in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court after he entered an Alford Plea on Wednesday just after his trial began.
Clinkscale entered pleas to charges of involuntary manslaughter, being a felon in possession of a firearm, felonious assault and a firearm specification in the Feb. 21, 2009, death of Melkanoe Bowman inside a home in the 900 block of Delaware Avenue and the wounding of a 6-year-old boy in a nearby home who was struck in the foot by a stray bullet as he slept.
The sentence was recommended by prosecutors, and Judge Durkin upheld their recommendation.
An Alford Plea means a defendant maintains his innocence but acknowledges there is enough evidence to convict him.
Jury selection took up the majority of the day in Judge Durkin’s court Tuesday, and opening statements took place Wednesday morning, but shortly afterwars, Clinkscale agreed to enter his Alford Plea.
Defense attorney Tony Meranto told Judge Durkin that the state’s case was circumstantial at best. He noted that though 0.40-caliber shell casings collected at the scene matched a gun Clinkscale had when he was arrested, he said Bowman was killed by a 9mm round to the head, and the boy was struck by a 7.62 mm round. He said no one can prove that any shots Clinkscale fired, if he had fired any, had ever hit anyone.
Additionally, the state’s only eyewitness, Charles Richardson, was once himself charged with Bowman’s death and gave two different statements, Meranto said. But Meranto said his client faced a minimum sentence of 26 years if convicted, so making the plea made sense.
“Under the circumstances, the reward outweighs the risk,” Meranto said.
Meranto said for those who don’t think the justice system works or there is no punishment, he said his client will be serving a prison sentence, and it has not even been proven he was at the scene or fired a weapon.
“Mr. Clinkscale will do time in jail on the theory he may have been there and he may have fired a gun,” Meranto said.
Bowman was found in an upstairs bedroom of the home, wearing a bulletproof vest and lying on top of a gun. Police found several guns inside the home and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
Reports said Bowman was killed because of a feud he was having with Clinkscale and the other three men charged in his death — Ryan McGee, 27, Keilan Clinkscale, 25, and Richardson, 30.
Of the three others charged in Bowman’s death, charges were dropped against McGee because of a ruling on evidence in 2012 and also Richardson, whose indictment was dismissed, according to court records.
Keilan Clinkscale pleaded guilty to reckless homicide and was sentenced to six years in prison for the Bowman slaying and another homicide.
The families of both Bowman and the boy were notified of the hearing, but they did not come to court.