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Published: Sunday, October 8, 2006

Jury selection to begin this week for suspect in killing of 2 women

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Two female accomplices are expected to offer incriminating testimony.

By ED RUNYAN

VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF

WARREN — Jury selection lasting five to 10 days is set to begin Wednesday in the murder trial of Jermaine McKinney, accused of killing two women in a Newton Township home last December.

McKinney, 26, with former addresses in Youngstown and Girard, could face the death penalty if convicted of killing Rebecca Cliburn, 45, of Warren and her mother, Wanda Rollyson, 70, in Rollyson's Newton Township home Dec. 21.

Testimony in the case might take two to three weeks, said Trumbull County Prosecutor Dennis Watkins, who will handle the case along with assistant prosecutors Mike Burnett and David Toepfer.

McKinney, known as "Maniac," will be represented by Akron attorneys Larry Smith and Donald J. Malarcik, who are certified to handle death-penalty murder cases.

McKinney, a fan of the crime show "CSI," is accused of using paint to burn both bodies and using bleach to hide evidence of the crime. He has pleaded innocent to two counts of aggravated murder and one count each of kidnapping, aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary and aggravated arson.

Witnesses

Two Warren women have already pleaded guilty to lesser crimes in exchange for their testimony and are expected to be important witnesses for the prosecution.

They are Jazzmine McIver, 22, of 1300 Roberts St., and Keyatta J. Riley Hines, 21, of 2072 Coit St. Both have remained in Trumbull County Jail since their arrest. Both were convicted of complicity to aggravated robbery, complicity to aggravated burglary and complicity to aggravated kidnapping.

Hines gave a videotaped statement to police detailing events that they say occurred after she and McKinney hatched a plan to take Cliburn from a Warren apartment to Rollyson's house at 3754 Newton-Bailey Road — and rob Rollyson and Cliburn there.

Hines said the plan was for McKinney to get Cliburn to go to the house under the pretext of having sex while Rollyson was at church, and to have McIver, known as "Jazz," join them later to assist with the robbery.

Hines said around 6:30 p.m. Dec. 21, she drove McKinney and Cliburn to the house and returned to Warren to get McIver. Hines and McIver arrived at the house around 9 p.m., and Hines entered to find an elderly woman in a "big puddle" of blood.

Hines said she did not see Cliburn, but McKinney told her he had "beat her with a crowbar." McKinney also later told Hines he had shot Rollyson twice in the head, Hines said.

At that point, Hines followed McKinney's directions to find items of value in the house. She took Rollyson's ATM card, driver's license, credit cards, cell phone and $93 in cash, she said.

McKinney told Hines he was concerned about authorities finding his hair, sweat and DNA on Cliburn after having sex with her — and that he used paint to burn both bodies, Hines said.

Another woman charged

A third woman, Amy Corll, 29, of Hubbard, a former girlfriend of McKinney, told police that she spent some time with McKinney, Hines and McIver later during the evening of the killings and that McKinney told her "he had killed two people."

The bodies were found about 18 hours later, the affidavit said.

Corll was charged with complicity to receiving stolen property, complicity to attempted theft from an elderly person and complicity to identity fraud against an elderly person. The charges relate to Corll attempting to use Rollyson's credit card the night of the murders, police said. Her case is pending.

The defense has filed motions asking Judge W. Wyatt McKay, who will preside over the trial, to exclude evidence pertaining to McKinney's arrest and other matters.

Police say one of the weapons McKinney used during a standoff with Youngstown police Jan. 1 when he was arrested was also the weapon McKinney used to kill Cliburn and Rollyson.

Judge McKay has not ruled on the motions.

runyan@vindy.com

Sunday, October 8, 2006