Fight at group home leads to death of resident

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Another resident was arrested and charged with murder in the death.

YOUNGSTOWN — A fight at a group home for mentally handicapped men resulted in the choking death of 34-year-old Stephen A. Lawson, police said.

Police were sent to 135 Illinois Ave. around 5:30 p.m. Sunday. The stately North Side three-story brick structure is known as Illinois Manor.

A caregiver at the group home told police that Lawson and another resident, 49-year-old James R. DiCioccio, had been fighting and Lawson was choked during the fight.

Officers were led to the basement hallway and found Lawson unconscious at the bottom of the stairs. Paramedics were soon on the scene to take the victim to St. Elizabeth Health Center, where he died at 6:18 p.m.

Police found DiCioccio crouched in a corner of the porch. When asked what happened, he answered: "He hit me," reports show.

Police said DiCioccio had a red mark on his forehead and scratches on his face.

Man arrested

He was taken to police headquarters downtown for questioning by homicide detectives. He was then arrested on a murder charge around 8 p.m.

DiCioccio was taken to the Mahoning County jail pending a review of the charge today by the city prosecutor.

Until Lawson's death, Illinois Manor had 15 male residents, said Linda Clark, a caregiver at the facility. She said she was called in to work when the two caregivers who had been on duty during the fight left to be interviewed by police.

"The others don't know yet," Clark said, stepping into her office off a TV room. "We're very close to our residents."

She referred questions to Charlene Crissman, administrator of the group home.

She could not be reached Sunday night to answer questions including how long the two had been at the home and where they were from.

Lawson is the city's eighth homicide of the year. There were three murders at this time last year.

Monday, March 12, 2007