Witness testifies Austin confessed murders in jail

YOUNGSTOWN

A witness in the trial of two men accused of four murders on the East Side told a jury that one of the defendants told him he had committed murders on behalf of a drug ring.

The witness, who is presently serving a federal prison sentence for wire fraud, testified today in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court that Michael Austin, 22, told him details of two of the murders. Austin and co-defendant Hakeem Henderson are accused of committing them three days apart in November 2011 – Adam Christian, 23, on Nov. 13 on Woodcrest Avenue; and Raymond “Ramel” Hayes, 23, whose bullet-riddled body was found Nov. 16, 2011, at Gerwig and Knapp streets.

The witness said Austin told him of the crimes while they were both inmates at the Mahoning County jail in 2013, and Austin was seeking legal advice on his cases.

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