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Ruling impacts Berentlinger slaying, WL-S shooting cases
Ohio Supreme Court justices recently reversed a decision eliminating automatic bindovers for juveniles accused of certain felonies and, thus, opened a door for prosecutors to move two Lima girls charged in the Nov. 24 slaying of Jeffrey Brentlinger from the juvenile division into the adult criminal division.
Jasmine Lewis, 17, and Tatianna Freeman, 18, both were 17 at the time of Brentlinger’s death, and a video that recorded events leading up to the slaying established they were in his 6498 Township Road 127, Zanesfield, home.
They have been charged with complicity to murder, complicity to first-degree felony aggravated robbery and complicity to first-degree felony aggravated burglary and proceedings were under way to shift jurisdiction into the Logan County Common Pleas Court criminal division.
With the change of heart at the state’s highest court, Logan County Prosecutor Eric Stewart and his staff have prepared a filing asking Logan County Family Court Judge Kim Kellogg-Martin to authorize moving the cases without further proceedings.
Stewart said Ohio law again allows for automatic bindovers for juveniles who are 16 or 17 at the time of the crime and who committed certain crimes such as murder.
Probable cause also has to be established and that occurred in early February after Judge Kellogg-Martin viewed the video secretly recorded on Brentlinger’s laptop computer and heard testimony from investigators.
Contrary to other media reports, Judge Kellogg-Martin has not made a decision. She has yet to see the prosecutor’s entry and she cannot act until the entry is filed.
The Supreme Court ruling could have a similar effect on other juvenile cases such as the West Liberty-Salem school shooting, in which 17-year-old Ely Serna is charged with attempted murder using a gun.
Read complete story in Saturday’s Examiner.
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