Man rejects plea in felonious-assault case

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

A man accused of beating another man unconscious said he wants to take his case to trial.

Brian Murray, 57, of Canfield Road, was indicted on one count of felonious assault Sept. 22, 2016, for allegedly beating a man unconscious at a Southern Boulevard home-improvement store July 14 of that year. Murray said the man owed him money.

The victim spent three weeks in a coma and five weeks in the hospital, his wife said.

Murray rejected a plea deal in which the prosecutor would have recommended a four-year prison sentence.

Judge John M. Durkin of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court told Murray that if he accepted the plea, he would limit his sentence to four years. The judge explained that, if convicted by a jury, Murray could face up to eight years in prison.

“I can’t do four years,” Murray said. “I have a 16-year-old son.”

The prosecution said they would leave the offer open through the end of the week.

Murray has a jury trial scheduled for 9 a.m. Oct. 10.