Teen girl needs to stay in juvenile system, says aunt

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By Lou Grieco, Staff Writer 10:26 PM Tuesday, June 14, 2011

The aunt of a teen girl facing charges in connection with the shooting death of Willie Totty, III, hopes the girl is not tried as adult.

Linda Woodard, who identified herself as the 15-year-old Raylin D. Holloway’s aunt and guardian, said the girl has been in and out of trouble for years and has difficulty understanding the consequences of her actions.

“I think she needs to stay in the juvenile system,” Woodard said. “She has some mental issues that she needs to deal with.”

The Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office filed a motion Tuesday to move the case against Raylin D. Holloway, 15, and Darion Strickland, 16, from Juvenile Court to the Common Pleas Court’s general division.

“These juveniles, and their adult coconspirator, had no respect for the life of Mr. Totty and robbed and coldly threatened to shoot two other victims,” said Prosecutor Mathias H. Heck, Jr. “Due to their ages and the nature of the charges, these two juveniles should be transferred and prosecuted as adults.”

Under Ohio law, felony defendants between 14 and 17 can be transferred to adult court under certain circumstances.

Ohio law defines two levels of offenses for mandatory transfers. Category one has four charges: murder, aggravated murder or attempt to commit one of those two. Category two includes several serious crimes, such as involuntary manslaughter, rape, aggravated robbery or aggravated burglary.

Strickland is charged with a category two offense, which offers mandatory transfers only for defendants who are 16 or 17. In addition, the defendant must either have used a gun during the offense or have previously been adjudicated delinquent for a category one or two offense.

Holloway is charged with both category one and category two offenses, but did not meet the requirements for a mandatory transfer. A child under 16 cannot be transferred on a category two offense, and a child between 14 and 15 can only be transferred on a category one offense if the child has previously been adjudicated delinquent for a category one or two offense.

A discretionary transfer can be filed in any felony offense. The judge must decide if there is probable cause and determine whether the juvenile is amenable to rehabilitation in the juvenile system. It is usually used when the juvenile has a substantial prior record or in very serious crimes where the requirements for a mandatory transfer are not met.

Totty, 26, was shot on his way home from a friend’s house. Police believe the two teens were with Carlos McGary, 18, when McGary shot and killed Totty. McGary faces two charges of murder and single counts of aggravated robbery, felonious assault and a weapons violation. His bond was set at $1 million, and he has remained in the county jail since his June 1 arrest.

Holloway and Strickland are also charged in a June 1 robbery attempt hours after Totty’s slaying. The two approached two women walking home from a Walgreens on Salem Avenue and demanded their possessions. When the victims did not comply, Strickland fired a gun at the victims and then the defendants took their cash and fled, Heck said.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2000 or flastname@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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