Price pleads guilty to February murder

July 8, 2015 at 12:00a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Prosecutors are recommending a 24-year prison sentence for a man who pleaded guilty to a homicide in February outside a South Side bar.

Earl Price, 42, pleaded guilty the day jury selection in his trial was to begin, to charges of voluntary manslaughter and being a felon in possession of a firearm with firearm specifications and repeat-violent-offender specifications.

Jurors had been summoned to Mahoning County Common Pleas Court to be selected to hear his case before Judge R. Scott Krichbaum.

Now, sentencing is set for 10 a.m. Sept. 2.

Price was accused of the shooting death of 33-year-old DeJuan Thomas, who was killed Feb. 7 outside the Partners Jazz and Blues Lounge on Oak Hill Avenue after the two argued inside. Thomas was shot outside the bar about 1 a.m. and later died from his wounds at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital.

At the time he was killed, Thomas was out on bond awaiting trial in an April 2013 homicide. He is one of two men charged in the death of 26-year-old Kristopher Stuart inside Stuart’s Elm Street home April 29, 2013.

Although prosecutors are recommending a sentence of 24 years, defense attorney John Juhasz will be arguing for a lighter sentence. Assistant Prosecutor Dawn Cantalamessa said the repeat-violent specification is for an incident dating back to 1992, when Price was convicted of aggravated robbery and discharging a firearm into a habitation.

Judge Krichbaum said while accepting the plea that he understands Price’s argument that the incident was more than 20 years ago and should not be counted against him at sentencing.

Police said no one at the bar called 911 when Thomas was shot, and several days after Thomas’ death, the city closed the bar because of several building-code violations. It has not reopened.

Someone drove Thomas to the hospital, which is where police were called. The car used to take him to the hospital had a large amount of blood inside and a rear window was shattered, according to the police report. Thomas had a gunshot wound to the upper ribs. Police were able to recover a bullet from his body.

Reports said even though police initially were sent to the hospital, they still found a crime scene in front of the lounge.