Friday, July 15, 2016
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
An indictment issued Thursday said a man in the Mahoning County jail awaiting trial in a murder case tried to have a witness killed.
The grand jury returned indictments on two counts of attempted murder and two counts of intimidation of an attorney, victim or witness against Frankie Hudson, 23, of Falls Avenue.
All the indictment says is that Hudson tried to cause someone to be killed sometime this year. It does not specify a time or place.
Hudson is set to stand trial Aug. 8 in the Dec.14, 2010, death of Christopher Weston, 44, who was killed at a market on Overland Avenue where Weston was working.
Hudson originally was indicted in the case in August 2013, and a new indictment was issued in November. In June 2015, a jury found Hudson not guilty in an unrelated murder case in common pleas court. He also has been serving a prison sentence after pleading guilty to charges he belonged to a gang.
Also indicted Thursday was Lucky Mitchell, 33, of Pasadena Avenue, on charges of attempted murder and felonious assault.
Mitchell is charged with trying to hang a corrections officer July 8 at the county jail, where he has been since June on a weapons charge.
A video taken at the jail shows Mitchell approaching the corrections officer, then taking a cloth from inside his clothes and trying to strangle the officer.
The officer struggles with Mitchell until the officer was able to open a door to another part of the jail. Two inmates helped get Mitchell off the officer, who then was able to cuff Mitchell.