Hudson murder trial enters second day

YOUNGSTOWN — The lead detective in the murder case of a 17-year-old in 2011 testified today that it took months and several interviews before he was able to zero in on the defendant as a suspect.

Detective Sgt. Ronald Rodway of the city police department told jurors before Visiting Judge Paul Mitrovich in the trial of Frankie Hudson Jr., 22, that when he first got the case, he did not have any leads.

Rodway said in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, however, that he received several tips and one of them led him to Hudson, who he interviewed a couple of weeks after the death of Josh Davis on his Willis Avenue front porch on Sept. 16, 2011.

He then interviewed him twice in March 2013.

Another defendant, Lamar Reese, was convicted of Davis’ death in April 2014 and sentenced to prison.

Hudson was to go on trial in December for Davis’ death but Judge Maureen Sweeney declared a mistrial after a jury of 12 people was picked but there were not enough jurors left to pick any alternates.

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