close
close

Murder trial continues with eyewitness testimony

A 16-year-old boy testified Friday that Cyrus Ellerbe fired a gun during a house party where two teenagers were shot.

The teenager, whose identity the News Journal is not releasing because of his minor status, was the first witness on the fourth day of Ellerbe's trial in Richland County Common Pleas Court.

Ellerbe, 23, is charged with six counts of murder, eight counts of aggravated assault and discharging a firearm on or near a prohibited area in connection with the Oct. 27 shooting during a Halloween party at an Airbnb at 810 Ferndale Road.

Jarmel Boyd, 17, and Brandon Collins, 18, were killed that night and four others were injured.

The witness who took the stand on Friday spent the entire morning giving evidence, extending into the lunch break.

During cross-examination, defense attorney Josh Brown pointed out several inconsistencies between his testimony and his statements to the Mansfield Police Department.

Deputy District Attorney Nik Buckmeier tried to prepare the boy for his testimony.

Teenager was a reluctant witness

“The main thing is that you tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth,” he told the teenager. “Can you do that?”

Buckmeier asked the teenager if he wanted to join in.

“Not really,” the boy replied.

He said he met up with Boyd before the party and smoked marijuana at Boyd's home. They saw an announcement about the party on social media and decided to go.

“We were just bored and had nothing else to do,” the teenager said, adding that they were given a ride by a friend and invited in by the party hostess.

The boy said he smoked marijuana while sitting on a couch and later spoke with Boyd and another friend in the backyard.

He later told Boyd that they would be leaving in 10 minutes. But before they could leave, shots were fired. Boyd was shot in the brain stem and died at the scene.

Witness described Ellerbe as someone who fired a gun that night

Buckmeier asked the teen if he saw who fired the shot, and the boy pointed to Ellerbe at the defense table. He added that he did not know Ellerbe but saw him walk through the living room and fire into a hallway.

The witness said that after hearing a gunshot, he fled through the front door and went into the back yard.

“It just felt like the safest place,” the teenager said, adding that he heard between 10 and 15 gunshots.

According to the boy, there were no signs of impending unrest before the shooting. He saw Ellerbe's face clearly.

In the backyard, the teen met a friend who had been shot in the left side. They walked through a wooded area until they reached Ohio 13, then went to a gas station on South Main Street.

The teen said he called 911 but hung up. He later called the friend who had brought him to the party to pick him and his injured friend up.

They drove to the hospital, where the teenager said he waited about 15 minutes before calling a friend's mother to pick him up. He did not call his father, with whom he lives.

“I stayed at her house until I woke up and then went home (the next morning),” the witness said.

During a police interview, the boy identified Ellerbe from a series of photographs and said he was 90% sure of his choice.

During cross-examination, Brown asked about the boy's statement to police in which he claimed he had attended the Mansfield Senior football game that night, which was untrue.

He said he didn't remember making that statement. Brown later played part of the interview to refresh his memory. The teen told police he did, in fact, go to the football game.

His explanation was that he did not want his father, who was present at the interview, to know that he had lied when he told him he planned to go to the game.

The defense attorney asked the teen about a gun found attached to a cord next to Boyd's body. The boy said he did not see Boyd with a gun that night and did not know he was carrying one.

The trial before Judge Phil Naumoff will resume Tuesday. It was expected to last two weeks, but prosecutors say it could extend beyond Labor Day.

[email protected]

419-521-7219

X: @MarkCau32059251

You may also like...