43
Three plead guilty in shooting that paralyzed man
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
Three people charged in the wounding of a man last October who was left paralyzed entered guilty pleas Monday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.
Pleading guilty to charges of felonious assault and being a felon in possession of a firearm with firearm specifications were Maurice Christian, 29, and his brother Terrian Christian, 26. Their sister, Andrea Perry, also 26, pleaded guilty to a charge of felonious assault.
Prosecutors are recommending to Judge Lou A. D’Apolito terms of seven years in prison for Maurice and Terrian Christian and one year of local jail time for Perry. Sentencing is set for Aug. 25.
Defense attorneys are expected to argue for lesser sentences because the sentences are not agreed on, as they sometimes are when plea agreements are reached.
They all are charged in the Oct. 23 shooting of DeAngelo Christian, 25, who was shot in the leg, stomach and buttocks in front of Perry’s apartment in the 1400 block of Woodcrest Avenue about 3:20 p.m.
Perry, Maurice Christian and Terrian Christian are not related to DeAngelo Christian.
The victim is paralyzed, said assistant Prosecutor Jennifer Paris.
Paris said the shooting stemmed from a long-running feud between Perry and another woman, who was to be a witness in the case, and culminated with a Facebook post that city prosecutors said when the three were arraigned prompted Perry to order her brothers to shoot DeAngelo Christian.
The pleas Monday came just before jury selection was to begin in a trial for the three.
As part of the plea agreement, should DeAngelo Christian die, the guilty pleas cannot be used against the three if prosecutors decided to pursue murder charges.
Perry remains free on bond pending sentencing. The Christian brothers have been in jail since their arrest a few days after DeAngelo Christian was shot.