Wednesday, May 29, 2019
WARREN
A Trumbull County grand jury has issued a superseding indictment charging Joseph L. Myers, 31, with murder and other offenses in the April 11 traffic crash that killed another motorist on West Market Street.
Myers earlier was indicted on aggravated vehicular homicide, aggravated vehicular assault, failure to comply with the order of a police officer and felony assault.
Those charges could have resulted in a prison sentence of about 10 years. But his new charges could increase that to a possible life prison sentence.
In addition to murder, Myers is also now charged with involuntary manslaughter, aggravated vehicular homicide, four counts of felonious assault, three counts of aggravated vehicular assault, one of failure to comply with the orders of a police officer and one of felony assault.
Myers, who has addresses on Vermont Street Northwest, North Leavitt Road in Leavittsburg and Houtzdale, Pa., has been in the Trumbull County jail in lieu of $150,000 bond since the crash.
Warren police said they attempted to stop Myers for a traffic violation prior to the crash, but Myers fled at high speed. The officer broke off the chase, but Myers continued west on West Market Street and crashed at a high rate of speed into several cars at the West Market Street/Parkman Road intersection, killing Anthony J. Blackwell, 34, of North Park Avenue, who was stopped at the traffic light.
Myers ran on foot from the crash, which was captured on surveillance video, but police arrested him a short distance away.