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YOUNGSTOWN -- Federal prosecutors are weighing whether to pursue death penalty specifications against two Warren men charged in the murder of a federal employee, court documents showed Monday.
The update came during a pretrial conference before U.S. Judge Donald C. Nugent in the Northern District of Ohio for defendants Kaprise Sledge, 24, and Thomas Sledge, 44.
Another hearing will take place Wednesday with a trial set to begin Dec. 9.
The court has not ruled on Sledge's bond motion, and both men remain in custody. Nugent is expected to address the bond issue and other pretrial matters in the coming weeks as the trial date approaches.
The Sledges were indicted in October on charges related to the March 2, killing of a U.S. postal worker Jont'e Davis, 33, who was found at 1:44 p.m. at the intersection of Olive Street and Scott Street in Warren.
Prosecutors allege the two men conspired in the fatal shooting, with Kaprise Sledge accused of firing the weapon and Thomas Sledge serving as the getaway driver. The charges include murder of a federal employee, which carries a potential sentence of life imprisonment or the death penalty, and using a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
Authorities arrested both men in March following an investigation that linked them to the crime scene through eyewitness accounts and forensic evidence. Prosecutors say the attack was premeditated, although defense attorneys have disputed key aspects of the government's case.
In a motion filed last month, attorneys for Thomas Sledge argued for his release on bond pending trial, citing his lack of recent violent criminal history and strong community ties in Northeast Ohio.
The government has suggested Thomas Sledge's role was limited to driving the vehicle involved in the shooting. Attorneys for the defendant questioned the reliability of the evidence from the government accusing Thomas Sledge of being the driver.