Man found guilty in shooting
Lake County resident faces 27-and-a-half years for assault and robbery in Fowler
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WARREN -- A Trumbull County jury on Tuesday returned guilty verdicts against a 47-year-old Eastlake defendant charged with three felonies in the Oct. 7, 2020, shooting of a Fowler man.
William L. Gambino Jr. was convicted of aggravated robbery, felonious assault and having weapons with restrictions. He is accused of shooting William Blake in the front yard of the victim's 4020 Youngstown Kingsville Road home. The jury also determined two specifications that firearms were used in the assault and the robbery.
The panel of 10 women and two men took less than an hour to reach a decision.
Gambino was handcuffed and led away by deputies from the courtroom. Judge Ronald J. Rice scheduled sentencing for 1:30 p.m. March 23. Gambino faces a maximum 27-and-a-half-year prison sentence.
HECTIC DAY
The verdicts ended a hectic day in the courtroom that saw the defendant making several angry outbursts from the witness stand. In one of the outbursts aimed at assistant Prosecutor Michael Burnett, Gambino shouted an expletive, which prompted the judge to threaten the defendant with expulsion from the courtroom.
"I'm trying to answer these questions … this is my life. Throw me out of here if you want," Gambino shot back.
While on the stand, Gambino contradicted some of the state's earlier testimony, saying he went to the Fowler home the morning of the shooting to ask Blake for some money.
Earlier testimony showed Gambino and Blake got into a disagreement while they were inside their own parked vehicles at the front driveway. At some point, Blake left his vehicle and approached Gambino's vehicle.
In his testimony, Gambino said he got out of the vehicle in an effort to get away from Blake. Gambino claimed he shot the man, first with a pellet gun and then later with a .22-caliber pistol, in self-defense.
That story conflicted with the victim's account. Blake testified he ordered Gambino off his property, and the man refused to leave -- shooting him instead.
Blake testified to receiving injuries to his face, neck, arm, side and abdomen, requiring seven surgeries.
Gambino testified he shot the man three or four times with the pellet gun and "three or four, maybe five times" with the pistol.
After the shooting, testimony revealed Gambino went into Blake's van and took the victim's vehicle keys, cellphone and wallet. He then took off and attempted to get gasoline in Johnston Center with Blake's bank card. It was at a second gas station at Mecca Circle that Gambino was arrested by a Trumbull County sheriff's deputy.
During cross-examination, Gambino said he wanted gas money so he could head to Trump Tower in New York City. He said he was a big Trump supporter and wanted to "make a commercial to congratulate Trump on the job he was doing."
A video interview with sheriff's detective Sgt. Michael Yanucci, earlier played for the jury, showed Gambino said he went to Blake's property so he could move into an apartment there.
Another video, taken by Blake's home security system, showed parts of the shooting and was played for the jury Monday.
SELF-DEFENSE STRATEGY
Throughout the two-day trial, defense attorney Michael Partlow tried to build a self-defense strategy for his client. Gambino testified he feared Blake, who had outweighed him by some 125 pounds and was about 10 inches taller.
Gambino and Blake both agreed their once friendship had gone sour after Gambino had moved into the Fowler home last spring and then began to act strangely. Gambino, from the witness stand and in the video interview, had attributed that to finding out that Blake was sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl. However, sheriff Detective Jolene Marcello testified she had investigated that allegation, and no charges were filed against Blake.
In both his testimony and the videotaped interview, Gambino accused Blake of threatening to feed him to a wild pig that was roaming through the back yard. Also, Gambino also alleged Blake made threats via text messages.
In closing, Burnett told the jury none of these issues mattered because the jury had to deliberate about Gambino coming to the property with guns intending to inflict harm and take money.
The final charge stemmed from Gambino being barred from handling weapons because of a 2007 manufacturing of drugs conviction in Lake County.
Gambino claimed he knew Blake as early as 2006, and their relationship then centered around making and selling methamphetamine. Once the relationship rekindled last year, both testified marijuana was being grown at the Fowler home.
After the verdicts were read, Burnett said he was satisfied.
"It seemed to be a cut-and-dried case," Burnett said. "I'm thankful the jury didn't take too long to deliberate."
Partlow would not comment about the verdicts.