Woman indicted in Winona Drive homicide pleads guilty

By Joe Gorman | May 13, 2015 at 12:00a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

One of 14 people indicted for their roles in the murder of a 17-year-old last August during a brawl on the South Side entered guilty pleas in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.

Carla Higgins, 47, entered a plea of guilty before Judge Lou D’Apolito to a charge of obstructing official business, a second-degree misdemeanor. The charge was amended from obstruction of justice, a third-degree felony, in exchange for her plea, which she entered Tuesday.

As part of her sentence, Higgins must formally apologize to police officers who were at the crime scene, said Martin Desmond, an assistant prosecutor.

Desmond is recommending probation for Higgins, whose only other brush with the law was a traffic ticket.

Higgins is the only person charged in the case with obstructing justice. Most of the others have been charged with aggravated riot and involuntary manslaughter.

Two brothers, Dejon Jenkins, 19, and David Jenkins, 18, each face charges of murder for the death of Cortez. Their trials are to begin next month. Several of those indicted have already pleaded guilty.