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Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Man convicted of all charges in double homicide and robberies at bootleg liquor joint
DAYTON - Keron D. Simpson, the first of three men to go on trial for a bootleg liquor joint robbery that left two people dead, was convicted Thursday of all charges.
The jury received the case about 4 p.m. and returned the verdict about 8:30 p.m.
The jury convicted Simpson, 20, of 12 counts of aggravated robbery, one for each of the people present when he and two others robbed the liquor joint at 1564 Germantown St. on Nov. 14, 2010. He was also convicted of two counts of murder, for the deaths of two of those victims: Earnest “Hank” Sanders, 59, and Michelle Carter, 31.
The jurors also convicted Simpson of the firearm specifications attached to all of those charges
Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Michael L. Tucker then convicted Simpson of one count of being a felon in possession of a weapon, the lone count tried to the bench. Tucker set sentencing for Feb. 22.
The trial started Jan. 12 and prosecutors rested on Wednesday. Simpson rested Thursday without calling any witnesses.
During her closing argument, assistant Montgomery County prosecutor Lynda Dodd said that Simpson shot Sanders, who had been operating the after-hours liquor joint from his home for more than 30 years. A different person shot Carter, but Simpson was still responsible, as he was participating in a robbery with that person, she said.
“He is a complicitor,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s his gun, his bullet in her head.
Sanders died at a hospital. Carter died at the scene.
“Michelle never had a chance,” Dodd said.
Simpson’s co-defendants, Daviontae T. Norvell, 19, and Earl L. Moon, 20, will be tried separately before the same judge, common pleas court Judge Michael L. Tucker, later this year.
Simpson did not call any witnesses. Bobby Joe Cox, Simpson’s defense attorney, said that the prosecution only presented three of the 10 surviving victims. All three admitted they had been drinking at the time of the robbery, and one had been using cocaine, he said.
Cox also raised concerns about the photo lineup that helped identify Simpson as a suspect.
But assistant county prosecutor Tracey Ballard Tangeman said that Simpson’s DNA had been found on two beer bottles discovered at the scene, in the exact place where witnesses said he had been seated prior to the robbery.
“Science corroborated their identifications,” Tangeman said. “So where’s the leap of faith in believing the witnesses when even science is corroborating it.”
TweetDayton man sentenced to federal prison for cocaine conspiracy
DAYTON — A Dayton man was sentenced Friday to 180 months in federal prison for his role in a conspiracy that brought cocaine from Mexico and Georgia and distributed it in the Miami Valley.
Calilin Jemiz Grant, 33, pleaded guilty on September 21 to one count of conspiracy to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine. He appeared before U.S District Judge Thomas M. Rose.
The Drug Enforcement Administration began investigating the cocaine distribution network in 2007 and identified Grant after he was observed meeting with other members of the conspiracy, according to Carter M. Stewart, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio.
Further investigation found that Grant used approximately $500,000 of the proceeds of the drug trafficking to obtain jewelry and motor vehicles between 2006 and 2009, Stewart said.
Rose ordered Grant to forfeit a luxury SUV he purchased with drug proceeds.
A federal grand jury indicted Grant and six co-defendants in July 2010. — Cruz Jesus Mendez-Fuerte and Armando Guia-Mendez are at large. — Adan Bautista-Morales was sentenced to 42 months in prison. — Jose Manuel Guia-Mendez was sentenced to 60 months in prison. — Jesus Sanchez-Ramirez was sentenced to 38 months in prison. — Jesus Garcia-Arias was sentenced to 48 months in prison.
“This investigation led to disruption of an entire distribution network,” Stewart said.
In April 2009, Grant was acquitted of raping and kidnapping a former University of Dayton student after a week-long trial. The defense contended that Grant and the woman had consensual sex. A relative of Grant’s testified that the victim entered his house on her own and agreed to sex with Grant.
A prosecution witness, Annette Davis from the Miami Valley Regional Crime Lab, testified that DNA from a rape kit matched a sample from Grant obtained in 2008. It was not specified how the sample was obtained, but the woman testified that she identified Grant from a photo lineup.
TweetBootleg joint homicide case goes to the jury
DAYTON — The case of Keron D. Simpson, the first of three men to go on trial for a bootleg liquor joint robbery that left two people dead, went to the jury Thursday, one week after the trial started.
Closing arguments started about 1 p.m., and the jury got the case just before 4 p.m.
Simpson, 20, is charged with 12 counts of aggravated robbery, one for each of the people present when he and two others robbed the liquor joint at 1564 Germantown St. on Nov. 14, 2010. He is also charged with two counts of murder, for the deaths of two of those victims: Earnest “Hank” Sanders, 59, and Michelle Carter, 31.
During her closing argument, assistant Montgomery County prosecutor Lynda Dodd said that Simpson shot Sanders, who had been operating the after-hours liquor joint from his home for more than 30 years. A different person shot Carter, but Simpson was still responsible, as he was participating in a robbery with that person, she said.
“He is a complicitor,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s his gun, his bullet in her head.
Sanders died at a hospital. Carter died at the scene.
“Michelle never had a chance,” Dodd said.
Simpson’s co-defendants, Daviontae T. Norvell, 19, and Earl L. Moon, 20, will be tried separately before the same judge, common pleas court Judge Michael L. Tucker, later this year.
Simpson did not call any witnesses. Bobby Joe Cox, Simpson’s defense attorney, said that the prosecution only presented three of the 10 surviving victims. All three admitted they had been drinking at the time of the robbery, and one had been using cocaine, he said.
Cox also raised concerns about the photo lineup that helped identify Simpson as a suspect.
But assistant county prosecutor Tracey Ballard Tangeman said that Simpson’s DNA had been found on two beer bottles discovered at the scene, in the exact place where witnesses said he had been seated prior to the robbery.
“Science corroborated their identifications,” Tangeman said. “So where’s the leap of faith in believing the witnesses when even science is corroborating it.”
TweetTrial opens in fatal shooting
DAYTON — Tyree S. Parson, on trial this week for the slaying of Dequan Smith in August, admitted committing the offense during a phone call with an ex-girlfriend, an assistant Montgomery County prosecutor told the jury Wednesday.
During his opening statement, John Amos told the jury that Parson told the woman: “I shot that man and I’m laying low.”
Amos said prosecutors would present several witnesses including three people who saw Parson shoot Smith. Assistant county public defender Vic Hodge told the jury to pay attention to the inconsistencies and coincidences in those witnesses’ statements.
Parsons, 25, is charged with two counts of murder and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Smith, 34, was shot Aug. 13 on Dorham Place. An acquaintance drove him to Good Samaritan Hospital where he died.
The bullet went through Smith’s right leg, severing the femoral artery and causing Smith to bleed to death within minutes, Amos said.
Three days later, Parson was charged with Smith’s murder and an arrest warrant was issued. On Sept. 8, police and the Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Force of the U.S. Marshal’s Office arrested Parson at a home in the 200 block of Niagara Avenue.
Amos said that Smith was a “booster,” known for selling goods on the street, and Parson owed Smith about $50 for a prior sale. The two men were at an apartment on Dorham when Smith reminded him about the debt and Parson ignored him and left. Smith went outside and the men had words, Amos said.
Parson’s cousin, seeking to avoid trouble, arranged for another person to pick up Smith and drive him away from the area. As Smith was trying to get into the car, Parson sneaked up behind him and shot him, Amos said.
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