Coroner confirms identity of man found shot and burned

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Mahoning County Coroner’s office has confirmed the identity of a man found shot and burned Feb. 20 in a sport utility vehicle on the far East Side.

The office said the remains belong to Zack Howell, 40, of Campbell, and the identity was confirmed through a DNA sample that was collected during Howell’s autopsy and matched with a DNA sample on file at the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

Police had been working under the assumption the body found in the SUV behind a vacant Knapp Avenue home was that of Howell because he was the registered owner of the SUV and he had been missing.

On Thursday, a grand jury indicted Terrell Martin, 37, of Winona Drive, and Lyric Moore, 26, of Tyrell Avenue, on charges of aggravated murder in Howell’s death.

Police were able to link the two to Howell’s death after finding Moore’s cellphone at the crime scene. They were both taken into custody March 1.

Coroner’s officials had tried to confirm Howell’s identity through dental records, but they were not able to obtain a set of records to match his dental work.

A complaint filed in municipal court when Moore and Martin were charged with Howell’s death said they had tried to abduct Howell a day before he was found, but that plan was called off.

The complaint said police had text messages between the two from the phone they found and they also found a gas can in Moore’s apartment.