Cincinnati man pleads guilty in fatal shooting

A Cincinnati BUTLER COUNTY — man has been sent to prison after pleading guilty to murder for a fatal shooting in St. Clair Twp.

Keith D. Harris Jr., 27, was scheduled to stand trial today in Butler County Common Pleas Court for aggravated robbery, felonious assault and having weapons under disability in addition to murder, but took a plea deal last week.

Harris was immediately sentenced by Judge Keith Spaeth to 18 years to life, which includes an additional three years for a gun specification on the murder charge.

Harris and Diamond Reid, 18, were arrested as they left a Hamilton County motel, a few days after the death of Trey Shepard on April 8.

Reid is charged with murder, aggravated robbery and felonious assault. Her trial is scheduled for November

Another Cincinnati man, William D. Harris, 26, was arrested in California after the fatal shooting. He is also charged with murder, aggravated robbery, felonious assault and having weapons under disability. His trial is scheduled to begin in September.

William and Keith Harris are not related, according to police.

The incident happened when an intruder entered an upper floor apartment of the Nelson Street residence and shot Shepard during a reported exchange of gunfire.

In a 911 call, a woman who lived in the apartment downstairs said people had been banging on their doors and broke out the sliding glass doors.

“Someone is breaking into the house upstairs from me,” the woman told dispatchers. “I hear banging. She (the woman in the upstairs apartment) is crying. She is asking for help.”

An 8-year-old girl, Emma Guezmann, was identified as the child with life-threatening injuries from a Xenia Twp. crash Sunday. She was no longer listed at Dayton Children’s Hospital and her condition is unknown Monday.

Her siblings, Draven Willis, 3, and Dameon Willis, 6, were taken to Dayton Children’s Hospital. Only Draven Willis remains there, in fair condition, according to hospital officials.

Because witnesses said the Willis’ Honda was driving at a high rate of speed, and could have been speeding, the Ohio State Highway Patrol will send the witness statements and evidence to the prosecutor’s office for review and possible charges, officials said.

A Sidney man pleaded guilty Monday to felony involuntary manslaughter in the Feb. 1 heroin overdose death of a woman in Piqua.

Darin Reineke, 49, formerly of Piqua, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and corrupting another with drugs in Miami County Common Pleas Court as part of a plea deal in which four years in prison was recommended.

Piqua police said Tabitha Murphy, 45, was found unresponsive at a Manning Street home she shared with Reineke.

A pre-sentence investigation was ordered and sentencing scheduled Oct. 10.

Judge Christopher Gee revoked Reineke’s bail pending sentencing.

Large rocks were used to break into four cell phone stores in Springfield early Sunday morning, according to multiple police reports.

The break-ins occurred between 3:50 and 4:30 a.m.

A large rock was used to smash the door at Boost Mobile, 1063 N. Bechtle Ave., at about 3:50 a.m., a report said.

A cash register was stolen, as well as a deposit bag with an unknown amount of money inside, an employee told police.

The Cricket Wireless store at 2139 E. Main St. was broken into at about 3:55 a.m.

An empty cash drawer was stolen, but no phones or cash was taken, an employee said.

A glass door was shattered, the report said. The suspects allegedly drove away in a dark truck and a silver colored car, employees of a nearby Burger King told police.

The door of another Cricket store, 1009 N. Bechtle Ave., was also reported smashed at about 3:50 a.m., but suspects were unable to enter the business, the report said.

At 4:25 a.m., officers responded to a break-in at the Sprint Wireless store, 2035 N. Bechtle Ave. Officers saw a large rock lying by the shattered door, the report said.

Video showed a gray truck with a stolen license plate and a gray car leaving the scene.

Video also showed seven suspects exit the vehicles to enter the store. A cash drawer with no contents was allegedly stolen, the report said.

A Middletown woman called police early Sunday morning saying she had been shot while in her vehicle on Yankee Road, officials said Monday.

Officers were unable to locate any evidence of shots fired when they arrived in the 1200 block of Yankee Road shortly after 3 a.m, according to the report.

A few minutes later, the same woman called police and said she had been shot at again while driving on Roosevelt Boulevard.

She was told to pull over at the Speedway at the corner of Breiel Boulevard and Roosevelt.

Officers found that the 29-year-old had not been hit by a bullet, but was bleeding from pieces of shattered glass that had cut her. Her vehicle had several bullet holes in it.

Several witnesses told police they had heard gunshots, but did not see anyone shooting.

Middletown detectives are investigating the incident.