“I got your chain!” Update

IT was just last night that I reposted Super Dirties blog about robbery suspects who happened to be aspiring rappers and their video detailing the crime they were charged with that was entered into evidence. I looked at the OR today at lunch and see that guilty verdicts were returned.

From www.observer-reporter.com,January 14, 2008:

Jurors convict robbery suspects
By Linda Metz, Staff writer

Although a former Cecil Township man admitted to telling various versions of events March 15 that led to his being shot in the chest, a jury obviously accepted his last version as being the truth.

The jury of seven men and five women deliberated about four hours Tuesday before finding Corey Cecil Alan Lomax, 23, of Donora, and Detrius Lamar Wade, 23, of Washington, guilty of robbing and assaulting Anthony Franell, 23, at his former home at 1701 Nine Eighty Road.

The jurors acquitted Lomax of attempted homicide. Lomax was charged for firing four shots at Franell, with one of the shots striking him in the right side of his chest and the bullet becoming lodged in his groin.

Lomax was convicted of aggravated assault, robbery, theft and criminal conspiracy to commit robbery. He faces a maximum of 67 years in prison.

Wade was convicted of robbery, theft, simple assault and criminal conspiracy to commit robbery. He faces a maximum of 49 years in prison.

The men will be sentenced at 11 a.m. March 24 by Washington County Judge Paul Pozonsky.

During the two-day trial, Franell testified that he picked up the men at a North Strabane Township restaurant and took them to his home on March 15. Franell said he had believed Wade had a golden necklace and pendant that he wanted to sell to him. The necklace had been stolen from Franell’s home on Dec. 11, 2007.

At Franell’s home, Wade returned the necklace. Franell took it upstairs and hid it under his mattress.

The men, who were high school friends, then smoked marijuana, played pool and recorded some music in Franell’s recording studio. Franell said Lomax and Wade suddenly pulled guns on him and ordered him to his knees with his hands in the air.

Lomax kept Franell at gunpoint while Wade went upstairs to retrieve the necklace. As Franell went to stand, Lomax fired the four shots. Wade returned downstairs without the necklace, and the two men fled in Franell’s Cadillac.

That, however, was not Franell’s first version of the events.

The jury heard testimony that Franell initially told police that two masked men assaulted him. He then told hospital personnel who were treating him for his wounds that he was the victim of a drive-by shooting. He later changed that story.

Franell did not identify Lomax and Wade as the assailants until 10 days after the incident and after two meetings with township Detective Mark Marcucci.

Franell did not mention the golden necklace until November, when the defendants were originally set to go to trial. The jewelry was featured in a rap video, “I Got Your Chain,” made by three area men at Jollick Manor and aired on YouTube.

In his closing arguments, Assistant District Attorney Michael Fagella told the jury that Franell was reluctant to involve the police. But he later decided that it would be the right thing to do to identify his assailants.

Fagella also pointed out that Franell could have identified the other men in the YouTube video, but he didn’t because the theft “didn’t happen that way.”

Throughout the trial, defense attorneys Brian Gorman, who represented Wade, and Komron Jon Maknoon focused on Franell’s conflicting stories. They called for the jury to acquit the men of all charges because Franell lacked any credibility.

“What kind of person is going to go through a trauma like that and keeps changing his story?” said Maknoon during his closing statement. “A person who’s making it up.”

The men will remain jailed on $100,000 straight bond pending their sentencing.

Both Wade and Lomax have been through the court system previously.

It was Wade’s second time at trial. Last year, a jury acquitted Wade in the Sept. 29, 2005, shooting death of Susan VanSyckle and the shooting of Darnell Steven Brown of Washington.

“I got your chain!”

The following originally appeared on Super Dirty’s myspace blog. She is the co-host of Sunday Services Radio on comedypipe.com. She lives in Washington, PA – one of the places that I grew up in and promptly moved away from because it is a complete shithole. Anyway, thanks Tina, this is one of the most insane stories EVER!

Another shining example of why I love Dubtown so much. I wanted to post it and share now just in case it would get yanked on the internets. I don’t have anything to rip video on my computer and Rick’s decided to start smoking last week so if anyone would be so kind as to save this vid and email it to us I would GREATLY appreciate it. Message me for the email address if you don’t already now it. Hopefully Rick’s computer will be done this week and we can get back on air.

And now, the moment you’ve been waiting for…. I GOT YOUR CHAIN!

I GOT YOUR CHAIN!

And of course, the news writeup so you can laugh along with me…

Defense: Victim Lacks Credibility courtesy of the Washington Observer- Reporter.

Defense: Victim lacks credibility
This article has been read 865 times.
By Linda Metz, Staff writer
lmetz@observer-reporter.com

A former Cecil Township man finally settled upon one story to tell a jury Monday as to what occurred March 15 when he was shot at his home.

Anthony Franell, 22, who now lives in Washington, testified that he was too afraid to implicate Corey Cecil Alan Lomax, 23, of Donora, and Detrius Lamar Wade, 23, of Washington, as being the armed gunmen who attempted to rob him at his home and take a heavy gold chain and pendant.

Franell testified that it was Lomax who shot at him four times with one of the shots striking him in the right portion of his chest with the bullet eventually becoming permanently lodged in his groin. He was the key prosecution witness in the trial for Lomax and Wade before Washington County Judge Paul Pozonsky.

Lomax is charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, robbery, theft and conspiracy to commit robbery, theft and simple assault. Wade is charged with robbery, simple assault, theft and conspiracy to commit robbery, simple assault and theft.

Cecil police, who responded to Franell’s emergency call following the incident, reported that Franell said two masked gunmen were responsible for the crime. The anonymous actors had supposedly entered Franell’s home at 1701 Nine Eighty Road when he went out to get CDs from his car. Franell was shot when he returned to his house and the men took off in Franell’s blue Cadillac.

..

During his testimony, Franell denied a report from Allegheny General Hospital, where he was treated after the shooting, that he was the victim of a drive-by shooting and later saying he was forced by two gunmen who shot him while he was on his knees with his hands in the air.

Franell did admit, however, that he didn’t tell the exact truth when he first identified Lomax and Wade to township police Detective Mark Marcucci or when he testified at a preliminary hearing in April.

Franell, however, said he was sticking to the story that he told prosecutors in November. And that story involves a heavy gold chain that had been stolen from his home in a previous burglary on Dec. 11, 2007, and had become the subject of a rap video that was shot outside Jollick Manor and posted on YouTube.

That video, entitled “I Got Your Chain,” was presented as evidence to the jury on Monday. It includes three local men who obviously are referring to Franell’s stolen chain.

“When I saw the video, I felt disrespected,” he explained.

According to Franell, he became aware of the video prior to the shooting. And he was not surprised when he got a call from Wade on March 15 that he had “something belonging to him.”

Franell, wanting to get the chain back, said he agreed to meet Lomax and Wade at King’s Restaurant in North Strabane Township. The three men then drove back to Franell’s house, where Wade gave him the necklace in exchange for some money.

After taking the chain upstairs to his bedroom and hiding it under the mattress, Franell said he, Lomax and Wade proceeded to smoke some marijuana, play some pool and record some rap music in his basement recording studio.

Then, out of nowhere, Franell said Wade and Lomax pulled a gun on him. While Wade ran upstairs to find the necklace, Lomax continued to point the gun at Franell, who was ordered to get down on his knees and hold his hands up in the air.

“I was afraid. I was crying,” said Franell. “I didn’t know what to do.”

Franell said when he went to stand up, Lomax fired the shots. Franell said he went after Lomax and fell atop him, who tripped over a table and fell backwards.

When Wade returned, unable to find the necklace, the men left Franell lying on the floor. They fled in Franell’s car.

A day after being released from the hospital, Franell said he went to the police department. There, he spoke with Marcucci, who told him his car had been recovered by Chartiers Township police that morning.

Franell said he maintained his story that his assailants were masked. A week later, he decided to tell police about Wade and Lomax.

“I knew I was going to have to tell them sometime,” he said.

Marcucci later testified that Franell told him about Lomax and Wade on March 25, and he agreed not to charge the men until Franell had time to move out of his house.

“He was afraid and didn’t want them to know where he moved,” said Marcucci.

Marcucci, the lead investigator in the case, admitted that he never filed a report on it. Instead, the only report was filed by another officer, who indicated that Franell said it was two masked individuals who attacked him. He also admitted to not conducting any follow-up investigation to corroborate Franell’s stories.

Marcucci said he was not made aware of the gold chain’s role in the matter until November, when Franell came forward about it. However, the detective said he was aware of the gold chain because Franell had reported it stolen in December.

The detective’s testimony was brief, and the prosecution was prepared to close its case by 3:30 p.m.

The defense then announced it had only one witness to present and that was on behalf of Wade.

Wade’s attorney, Brian Gorman, offered Ryan Umensetter, who is currently incarcerated at the county jail in an unrelated case, as an alibi witness for Wade. Umensetter testified that Wade was with him in Clairton at the time of Franell’s shooting.

In their opening statements, Gorman and Lomax’s attorney, Komron Jon Maknoon, both focused on Franell’s conflicting stories.

“There’s so many versions of the story it may be confusing,” Maknoon told the jury.

Gorman said the prosecution’s case falls short because there’s no credibility, especially pertaining to Franell.

Closing arguments are to be presented this morning. The jury will immediately thereafter begin deliberations.

In the meantime, Franell has a criminal case pending against him. He was charged by Cecil police with receiving stolen property, possession and possession with intent to deliver marijuana after officers found a stolen handgun and suspected marijuana at his home after the shooting. Police obtained a warrant to search the home.

Wade was found not guilty last year in the Sept. 29, 2005, shooting death of Susan VanSyckle and the shooting of Darnell Steven Brown in Washington. Lomax was his alibi witness in the case.

Both men remain in Washington County Jail on $100,000 bond.