Arguments given today in appeal of Ferrara murder conviction

YOUNGSTOWN — A lawyer for a man who was convicted in a 1974 Canfield triple murder told an appeals court panel his client didn’t get a fair trial, and was convicted based on insufficient evidence.

However, an assistant Mahoning County prosecutor argued that the evidence was sufficient to find James Ferrara guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and that the trial was fair.

The arguments were presented this morning to a three-judge panel of the 7th District Court of Appeals, which will rule at a later date.

Atty. J. Gerald Ingram argued Ferrara’s appeal, and Ralph M. Rivera represented the prosecution.

After a jury convicted Ferrara of three counts of aggravated murder on Nov. 21, 2013, Judge R. Scott Krichbaum of common pleas court, sentenced him to three consecutive life prison terms without parole.

Ferrara was convicted in the Dec. 13, 1974, shooting deaths of Benjamin Marsh, 33, and his wife, Marilyn, 32; and in the beating death of their 4-year-old daughter, Heather, in their South Turner Road home.

For the complete story, read Thursday's Vindicator and Vindy.com