Faunda indicted in West Side man's murder; chief says 'run-of-the-mill' TV theft was cause

YOUNGSTOWN

The chief of the city’s police detective bureau said the TV an elderly West Side man was killed over last month was “just a run-of-the mill television.”

A Mahoning County grand jury on today indicted Joseph Faunda, 44, of Maryland Avenue, on charges of aggravated murder, murder, receiving stolen property and aggravated robbery in the death of 84-year-old Mykola Iwaniuk.

As of now, he will not face the death penalty.

Capt. Brad Blackburn, chief of detectives, said Faunda knew Iwaniuk, but he would not say how. He said there were no signs of forced entry into the home, and officers who found Iwaniuk’s body said he was right by the front door.

The crime was senseless, Blackburn said.

“I don’t understand why [Faunda] did what he did,” Blackburn said. “But it could be so [Iwaniuk] couldn’t identify him.”

Iwaniuk was found dead in his home in the 1700 block of Oakwood Avenue on the West Side about 5:30 a.m. Jan. 21. A Vindicator newspaper carrier called police after she noticed Iwaniuk’s door was open and all the lights in the home were on.

Read more about the case in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.