WARREN — A 72-year-old Trumbull County inmate convicted of murder will remain behind bars for at least five more years after the Ohio Parole Board rejected his latest bid for release.

The Trumbull County Prosecutor’s Office announced Monday that Pompie Junior Wade, who is incarcerated at Marion Correctional Institution, is serving a 20-years-to-life sentence for the 1975 murder of Dominic Chiarella, 51, and the attempted murder of Fred G. Piersol, 23, during an armed robbery at the Austin Village Beverage Center in Warren. His next parole hearing is scheduled for June 2030, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.

Trumbull County Prosecutor Dennis Watkins, who was part of the trial team that convicted Wade in 1976, praised the parole board’s decision.

Wade’s more than just sentence must be fully served, and a safe public always is ensured with incapacitation by incarceration,” Watkins said in a statement.

Wade was originally sentenced to death for the Dec. 29, 1975, crime, which occurred while he was on parole for a 1972 manslaughter conviction in the death of William A. Jackson. The U.S. Supreme Court’s 1978 ruling that Ohio’s death penalty law was unconstitutional commuted Wade’s sentence to life with the possibility of parole.

According to court records, Wade entered the beverage center armed with a .32 revolver, stole cash, and ordered Chiarella and Piersol into a cooler. He then shot both men in the chest. Chiarella died almost instantly, leaving behind a wife and children, while Piersol survived. Wade fled the scene, casually eating potato chips stolen from the store, which later became evidence at his trial.

Watkins, who has opposed Wade’s release in letters to the parole board in 1989, 1995, 2005, 2015, and 2025, said the victim’s family continues to endure pain from reliving the tragedy during parole hearings. Dr. David Chiarella, the victim’s son, expressed relief at the board’s decision, Watkins noted.

Local officials, including Warren Mayor Doug Franklin and Councilman Michael O’Brien, D-at Large, also submitted letters opposing Wade’s parole, citing the loss of Chiarella, described as a valued community member.

A recent editorial in the Youngstown Vindicator, published Aug. 3, 2025, echoed the sentiment, questioning, “How many breaks should a cold-blooded murderer get?”

Watkins stated that Wade’s continued incarceration ensures public safety. “Mercy was already given to Pompie Wade when his death penalty was reversed,” he said. “We thank the Ohio parole board for making the right decision.”