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Appeals court upholds convictions in 2 cases
By JOE GORMAN
YOUNGSTOWN
The 7th District Court of Appeals this week upheld convictions in two criminal cases.
The court affirmed the convictions of Vincent Moorer, 32, and Melvin Johnson Jr., 34, who were convicted in March 2017 of drug dealing and murders on the East Side.
Moorer is serving life with no parole plus 15 to life for ordering the 2012 murder of Ryan Slade, 20, and of Kierra McCullough, 19, who was killed with Slade as they sat in a car on Benford Lane on the East Side. He had an additional 70 years tacked on for other crimes, including attempted murder and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.
Johnson was sentenced to 28 years after being convicted in the same trial of attempted murder and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.
Both appealed their convictions, saying that text messages used against them were improperly admitted into evidence and that the evidence was not enough to convict them.
The appeals court ruled that the texts were admitted into evidence properly and there was enough evidence for jurors to conclude they were guilty.
The court also ruled against an appeal by David Hackett, 55, who was convicted and sentenced to life in prison with no parole for the Oct. 23, 2013, stabbing death of Collena Carpenter, who was found on West Avenue. She was stabbed 81 times.
Hackett claimed the trial court erred in allowing him to act as his own attoney because there is no record that indicated he waived that right, and he also said the evidence against him was weak,
The appeals court said that Hackett answered several questions in a hearing before the trial judge, who asked if he wanted to waive his right to an attorney and if he understood the consequences. The record showed that he understood, the appeals court said.
As in the other case, the appeals court said there was enough evidence to show jurors Hackett was guilty.