Jurors see crime scene photos in murder trial

By Joe Gorman

jgorman@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

Jurors in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court heard Friday about ballistic evidence collected at the scene of a June 2017 shooting death and also saw pictures of the victim.

Testimony is expected to resume Monday in the aggravated-murder trial of Dashonti Baker, 26, of Millet Avenue. Judge Anthony Donofrio sent jurors home early because of the Good Friday observance.

Baker is accused of the June 23, 2017, shooting death of Rae’venna Faircloth-Thomas, 24, who was found shot to death in an SUV on Oneta Street on the West Side. Prosecutors said in opening statements Thursday that Baker killed her over a property dispute.

Youngstown Police Detective Sgt. D.P. Scott, the head of the department’s crime lab, testified about some of the evidence he collected at the crime scene, which was deluged by a heavy downpour. Police on the scene shielded coroner’s personnel and crime-scene personnel with umbrellas and a tarp they got from a neighbor.

Scott testified he found five spent 9 mm shell casings inside the SUV. Jurors also were shown pictures of the inside of the SUV and of the victim, some of them graphic.

At one point, the mother of Faircloth-Thomas had to leave the courtroom.

Police also found a .40-caliber pistol inside the SUV and a card for a concealed-carry permit that Faircloth-Thomas had.

Later in the day, after police found a car linked to Baker and his co-defendant, Barraya Hickson, 26, who pleaded guilty earlier this week to obstruction of justice, Scott also performed a gunshot residue test on Baker and took DNA samples from both Baker and Hickson.

Scott also collected and logged into evidence cellphones belonging to both Baker and Hickson.

Prosecutors said data collected from the phones show that both Baker and Hickson were in the area about the time Faircloth-Thomas was shot.

The lead investigator on the case, Detective Sgt. Michael Lambert, is expected to testify more on the cellphone data next week.