Daundre Turner found not guilty in the 2016 shooting death of Omar Croom in Youngstown, Ohio

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – A Mahoning County Common Pleas Court jury on Monday acquitted a man in the tragedy of a fatal 2016 shooting on the East Side.

Daundre Turner, 27, was charged with aggravated murder, murder and aggravated robbery in connection with the shooting death of 22-year-old Omar Croom on March 16, 2016.

Croom was found at the corner of Early Road and Oak Street Extension. Turner and a co-defendant who testified against him, Ranee Fitzgerald, 25, were not charged until 2023, after a new detective began investigating the case.

Testimony before Judge Maureen Sweeney began Tuesday after the jury was selected and the crime scene was visited on June 10.

Jurors began deliberating Thursday after hearing closing arguments and continued Friday, but were sent home early after the smell of natural gas was detected downtown and the courthouse had to be evacuated.

Prosecutors say Croom was lured to the scene of his murder by Turner's wife, Ranee Fitzgerald, to exchange sex for money. Turner had planned to rob someone.

Prosecutors said Fitzgerald was coerced by Turner to lure Croom there. Fitzgerald was charged with manslaughter for her role in the crime.

Turner's lawyer, Frank Cassese, sharply criticized Fitzgerald's testimony, saying she only agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in exchange for a lesser charge.