Charity gets 6 years after Alford plea

YOUNGSTOWN

Although a prosecutor said Wednesday a witness puts Earl Charity at the scene of a 2009 murder, the rest of his statements don’t match up to the physical evidence in the case.

Charity, 28, was sentenced by Judge Shirley J. Christian of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court to six years in prison on a charge of voluntary manslaughter for the Oct. 4, 2009, slaying of Darrick Hall, 23, at North and Arlington avenues on the North Side.

A co-defendant, Marcus Rutledge, 28, also received a six-year sentence in 2012 when he pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in Hall’s death before former Judge James Evans.

Assistant Prosecutor Nick Brevetta told Judge Christian that six months after Hall’s death, a witness came forward who was arrested on a felony charge in an unrelated case, and told authorities that Charity was present when Hall was killed.

However, Brevetta said other statements the witness made were inconsistent with the physical evidence collected at the crime scene. Charity entered an Alford plea Feb. 3. An Alford plea means a defendant maintains innocence but admits there may be enough information for a jury to convict.

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