Tuesday, August 25th, 2020
Murder charges dropped against 2
Bell pleads guilty to obstruction charge
By Sydney Albert
WAPAKONETA - Two people who had been arrested in connection with a fatal 2018 shooting in St. Marys have had the murder and assault charges against them dropped.
The court dismissed all charges against Jacar Bitting, 28, on Monday. He had faced six first-degree felony charges, including aggravated murder with a gun, two counts of murder with a gun and three counts of attempted murder with a gun; two counts of second-degree felonious assault with a gun; and a third-degree felony weapon possession under disability charge.
Syniqua Bell, 32, had been scheduled to begin a jury trial on Monday but instead entered into a plea deal on Wednesday, according to court representatives.
Bell pleaded guilty to a third-degree felony charge of obstructing justice. The other eight charges she'd been facing - six first-degree felonies, including one count of aggravated murder, two counts of murder, one count of attempted aggravated murder and two counts of attempted murder with a gun; and two counts of second-degree felony felonious assault - were all dismissed as part of the plea deal.
Bell was sentenced to 36 months in prison and received a $1,000 fine. The fine may be suspended if Bell pays all court costs within 30 days, according to court documents.
The court actions for Bitting and Bell come after a third man who'd been arrested in connection with the shooting was sentenced to 14 years in prison. Keith Waddell Jr., 32, pleaded guilty to first-degree felony involuntary manslaughter. Waddell accepted a plea deal two weeks ago in exchange for the dismissal of nine other felony charges.
Waddell, Bell and Bitting had been arrested after a shooting at a condominium at 10988 State Route 364, St. Marys. At about 3:22 a.m. April 11, 2018, a male had called 911 stating he had been shot. Deputies responded to discover two victims with gunshot wounds. The men were later identified as Dexter Lee Turner and Alim Amir Turner. The father and son had been transported to hospitals by the St. Marys Rescue Squad. Alim Amir Turner had been sent to Lima Memorial Health System while Dexter Lee Turner had been transported to St. Rita's Medical Center, where he later died of his injuries.
