Kenyanna Pennock guilty of murder
Harris family shares parting thoughts
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WARREN -- A two-day trial and an hour and 10 minutes of jury deliberations resulted in Kenyanna Pennock being found guilty of all charges for her role in the November 2022 murder of 36-year-old Jesare'e Harris outside Parkplace 24 Tavern, 2185 Parkman Road, Warren.
The jury found Pennock, 37, guilty on charges of murder, felonious assault and reckless homicide.
Trumbull County Assistant Prosecutor Michael Burnett said the murder charge carries a life sentence without the possibility of parole until Pennock has served 15 years. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 6.
Burnett said he was glad to see the jury did what was right to convict Pennock.
"I'm glad the jury came back quickly, I thought it set the nerves at ease for the victim's family. I can tell they were happy with the verdict and I'm glad to see that maybe they can finally see some peace," Burnett said.
David Engler represented Pennock, alongside Kevin Daley and law student Gene L. Valentino. After the verdict, Engler said he was disappointed, but ultimately respected the jurors' decision.
The case for his client took a difficult turn when Trumbull County Common Pleas Court Judge Andrew D. Logan denied Pennock's request for self-defense instructions to be read to the jury.
That determination was made Thursday afternoon behind closed courtroom doors.
During Thursday's hearing, tensions at times flared between Burnett and Logan as several objections were raised by Engler and sustained by the judge during his questioning of Darryl Pennock and his sister, Kenyanna Pennock, who were the final two witnesses before the defense and prosecution rested.
HARRIS FAMILY SPEAKS
After a year of going through hearings in Warren Municipal Court, all the way through the completion of the trial Thursday in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court, the family of Harris said they're relieved to finally have justice for their loved one.
Her mother, Sonja Harris, said she appreciated that the jury saw through the "mud'' she said Pennock and her defense counsel brought against her daughter's name over the course of the two-day trial.
"It did make me kind of nervous because I didn't know if they (the jury) would, but they saw through all the lies and stuff they tried to portray to make it seem like it was Jesare'e's fault when she's the one that's gone," Sonja Harris said.
Throughout the trial, Pennock and her attorneys, David Engler and Kevin Daley, asserted that Jesare'e had jumped on the hood of Pennock's car and refused to let go.
Pennock again alluded to this when she took the stand Thursday morning, saying that she feared for her life after witnessing an attack on her brother by a large group of individuals in the parking lot of the bar.
A speed analysis completed by Warren police detective Eric Laprocina, who testified Wednesday, determined the distance and speed of Pennock's vehicle from the point she left the bar with Harris on her hood to the time Harris eventually ended up in the street.
The detective said his results showed Pennock traveled with Harris on the hood of her car for about 2,495 feet for at least 34 seconds at a rate of speed of about 50 mph.
Testimony from Dr. Alison Krywanczyk, a medical examiner from Cuyahoga County, confirmed results from the autopsy of Jesare'e Harris showing she died from blunt force trauma and was consistent with being thrown from a vehicle traveling at a high speed.
Six days later, she succumbed to her injuries resulting in murder charges being brought against Pennock.
"We had to sit for days and watch Jesare'e brain die off in that hospital, for days, until she just couldn't be there for us anymore," her aunt Felicia Harris said. "For me, Kenyanna is a murderer, she took my niece from me and someone who I loved. That was my baby and she took her from me, from her daughter, her mother and her cousins, but I feel like we received justice.
"I don't want to forget about Michael Burnett. He did a great job defending us for Jesare'e's justice," Felecia said. "I know he spent countless hours going through all the records to make sure she had justice."
Treasur Harris, the first cousin of Jesare'e, said losing her cousin was losing someone who she saw as her sister.
"I'm the oldest of four. I'm the one that they come to when they need something. I'm the head and now I feel like a piece of me is missing," Treasur Harris said. "God was watching over us the entire time; it's been a whole year of back and forth to court we weren't going to miss. We were going to make sure that we stood 10 toes down and made sure justice was served."
Jesare'e Harris had one daughter, Terriney Divine Williams.
Whether "good or bad," Sonja said the family still planned to come together Thursday to celebrate Jesare'e's life with food and a balloon release.