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Youngstown man gets 15 years for birthday party shooting
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
A $20 bet led to a 15-year prison sentence Thursday.
Jermaill Holloway, 24, of Clarencedale Avenue, was sentenced in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court by Judge R. Scott Krichbaum for the March 20, 2016, shooting death of Marquis Shelton, 23, at a home on Idora Avenue after the two argued over a $20 bet on a video game.
The shooting was at a birthday party for Dequalia Shelton, who was wounded in the shoulder in the burst of gunfire that killed her brother.
She told the judge Thursday her birthday will always be marred by her brother’s death.
“Every year this is something I have to live with,” she said.
Holloway pleaded guilty March 2 to a charge of voluntary manslaughter and eight counts of felonious assault.
Assistant Prosecutor Dawn Cantalamessa told the judge that there were several other people at the party and after Shelton and Holloway argued over the video game, Holloway was told to leave and threatened to kill everyone in the home before he went outside.
Shelton and his sister were in the doorway when gunfire broke out.
Cantalamessa said someone in the home also was firing a gun and there was an exchange of gunfire.
She said police found 12 shell casings in the street and several shell casings on the porch, but had access only to the weapon that was fired from the home.
All of the casings on the porch matched that gun, she said.
She said the bullet that was taken out of Shelton could not be matched.
Cantalamessa was asking for an 18-year prison sentence.
Stacey Huff, Shelton’s mother, said being in court Thursday was not easy.
“I thought I was going to my son’s funeral again,” Huff said. “I pray for the strength to face this man.”
Huff said she felt worse because Holloway used to call her “mom” and was good friends with Shelton.
She said she could not forgive Holloway.
Holloway’s attorney, Ross Smith, asked for a six-year sentence. He said his client has no adult criminal record and took responsibility for his actions, although he was not arrested until November, when ballistic testing was completed on the shell casings.
Smith also said the gun hidden in the house was hidden under a pillow and his client did not fire first.
Holloway apologized and said he did not expect to be forgiven.
He said he was in fear for his life when he fired his gun.
“Please understand I had two people firing at me when I left that house,” Holloway said.
Judge Krichbaum said the real story about what happened may never be known, but he added if Holloway would have left when he was asked, no one would have been in court Thursday.
“This whole thing could have been avoided,” Judge Krichbaum said.