Murder plea entered

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

A 44-year-old Maryland Avenue man has pleaded guilty to aggravated murder, aggravated robbery and receiving stolen property in the death of an 84-year-old Oakwood Avenue man.

Joseph Faunda entered his plea Wednesday before Judge Maureen A. Sweeney of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, who will sentence him at 8 a.m. next Thursday.

Faunda pleaded guilty to the slaying of Mykola Iwaniuk, who was found dead at 5:30 a.m. Jan. 21 in his West Side residence.

A Vindicator carrier called police after she noticed Iwaniuk’s door open and all the lights on in his home.

Authorities on the scene said Iwaniuk had been dead for more than a day and had suffered several blunt-force injuries to the back of his head.

Detectives said that, as far as they knew, the only items taken were the victim’s car and TV.

Informants told police they saw Faunda in Iwaniuk’s car, which was found in Calvary Cemetery two hours after Iwaniuk was found dead.

The prosecution and defense have agreed to a sentence of 25 years to life in prison for Faunda, which will be nonappealable if the judge adopts it.