Jelks knew boyfriend had gun, but is she responsible for his death, jurors must decide

WARREN

Testimony on Wednesday in the Regan Jelks involuntary manslaughter trial confirmed the contention of an assistant prosecutor that Jelks knew her boyfriend had a gun when he got into her car a short time before he was killed.

A videotaped police interview of Jelks contained her admission that she saw a handgun in Taemarr Walker’s pants when he arrived at a Warren tavern to pick her up.

She allowed him to drive her from the II Hype tavern on Mahoning Avenue to Risher Road, where Walker was shot to death in a confrontation with a Warren police officer.

The question jurors will be asked sometime today is whether the decision to get in the car with him — knowing that he had a gun — is sufficient evidence that she improperly handled firearms in a motor vehicle, and if that offense was the “proximate cause” of Walker’s death Oct. 19, 2013.

Testimony in the case concluded Wednesday in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court with Jelks’ attorneys declining to present any witnesses. Closing arguments will take place at 9:30 a.m. today, followed by jury deliberations.

Late Tuesday and early Wednesday, jurors heard close to three hours of videotaped interviews conducted at the Warren Police Department with Jelks several hours after Walker was killed.

Read more about the testimony in Thursday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.