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Man pleads guilty in June shooting death
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
Police think Earl Charity, who pleaded guilty Tuesday to a charge of aggravated murder, wanted to rob the man he admitted killing in a Wilson Avenue garage.
Detectives, however, have no idea what prompted Charity, 32, and another man who pleaded guilty earlier in the case, Juan Phillips, 34, to stab Oscar Caywood, rapper Charity’s promoter.
Caywood was stabbed several times and had deep gashes on his body from three types of edged weapons before being shot several times.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys are recommending a sentence of 23 years to life for Charity, who entered his guilty plea before Judge R. Scott Krichbaum in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court. Sentencing is set for 9 a.m. Monday.
Phillips pleaded guilty Nov. 7 to reduced charges of involuntary manslaughter and aggravated robbery and was to cooperate in the case against Charity. If he did cooperate, prosecutors would recommend a 12-year sentence.
Caywood, 32, was found dead about 11:30 p.m. June 19 inside a garage on Wilson Avenue by officers answering a gunfire call. The officers also found Phillips and Charity at the scene, and they were immediately detained.
The scene inside the East side garage was bloody, according to coroner’s reports and police crime scene photographs, and Caywood had deep gashes on his body, especially his legs, and he was surrounded by shell casings.
The men had Caywood’s money and jewelry with them, and their clothes and shoes were covered in blood.
Detective Sgt. Mike Lambert credited the responding officers for their work in responding so quickly that they were able to catch the suspects before they even left the building. “The case basically worked itself,” Lambert said.
Inside the garage, there were several guns. There was a gun in the front seat of Charity’s car, another gun underneath the car, another gun near the door of the garage and more guns and ammunition in the trunk. All told, there were 10 guns found.
There was also a knife underneath Charity’s car with blood on it. Police found two more sharp instruments, including a meat cleaver, that they believe were also used to inflict wounds on Caywood. Lambert said he believes Caywood was alive when he was gashed and stabbed before he was shot and killed.
He said he had no idea why the two went so far to inflict so much pain on Caywood, and they never said why, even when they were questioned.
Charity already has served a six-year prison sentence for a 2009 shooting death on the North Side that ran concurrent with a seven-year sentence he received for shooting up a house in 2010, and was on parole when Caywood was killed.
He could be sentenced separately on a parole violation if the Adult Parole Authority chooses to charge him with a parole violation.
Any sentence he receives will be consecutive to the sentence he will receive for Caywood’s death.