Jury quickly finds Sims guilty of murder; facing mandatory 18 years in prison

YOUNGSTOWN

Keith Sims gambled with a jury and lost.

Sims, 27, of Ford Avenue, who was charged with the murder of 23-year-old Shaneice Wells, turned down an offer for a plea bargain last week even after attorneys brought his mother in to try to persuade him to change his mind. A plea bargain could have brought about a shorter sentence.

He opted to go to trial in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, and a jury found him guilty Friday of the Oct. 25, 2014, slaying of Wells outside a home in the 800 block of East Boston Avenue. It took jurors less than two hours over two days to find Sims guilty of murder, felonious assault and a firearm specification before Judge Maureen Sweeney.

Sims faces a mandatory penalty of 18 years to life in prison. A sentencing date has not been set yet.

Prosecutors said Wells, of Maplewood Court, was killed outside the home. Her death came after an argument by a group of women that stemmed from a dispute Sims was having with a man in a detached garage in the backyard over noise.

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