Friday, August 23, 2019
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
Prosecutors said when David Oliver and Jalon Allen robbed and killed Andre Harrison in September 2016, they made pains to also steal the surveillance system Harrison had at his Kensington Avenue home and the DVR accompanying it.
Somehow the DVR ended up in the hands of the police, who were able to view Harrison’s murder and charge Oliver, 26, and Allen, 25.
Both were sentenced Thursday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court by Judge Anthony Donofrio.
Allen, who pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary and tampering with evidence, received an 18-year prison sentence.
Oliver, who pleaded guilty to murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm, was sentenced to 21 years to life in prison.
Police said the pair robbed Harrison, whose house burned to the ground hours after he was killed.
During his hearing Thursday, Oliver apologized to Harrison’s family and said he had no intention of killing him. Judge Donofrio said that after watching the video, he found that hard to believe,
The video shows the men on Harrison’s porch, with Oliver knocking on the door and counting money. Harrison answers, and after a few seconds of small talk, Oliver suddenly pulls a gun and fires. He then charges into the house with Allen following and pulling a gun from the back of his waistband.
Judge Donofrio called the shooting “cowardly” and “cold blooded.”
“The only way you can interpret your actions in this case is you intended to kill Mr. Harrison and rob him,” Judge Donofrio said of the video.
The mother of Harrison’s children, Gwendolyn Herd, said during Oliver’s hearing she struggled and prayed, and said God told her she needed to forgive the men and move on. She said it is the children of Harrison who will suffer the most.
Allen, whose father was murdered in Indianapolis when he was 4, also apologized. He said drugs played a role in his actions that day and he said he never intended for anyone to get hurt.
“Anyone that knows Jalon Allen knows that’s not who I am,” he said.
Judge Donofrio called the whole situation “tragic.”
Both sentences were agreed upon between prosecutors and defense attorneys.