YOUNGSTOWN  Monday’s scheduled jury trial for 18-year-old Danyo Sellers, who is charged in the 2023 murder of a 15-year-old girl in Youngstown, has been delayed after his defense attorney filed a motion to continue the case.

The motion, filed Friday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, requested the jury trial be moved from Sept. 15 to Oct. 27. The document states the request comes after the Mahoning County Prosecutor's Office provided additional witnesses and other information.

 

Danyo Sellers
Danyo Sellers  

 

According to the motion, the defense lawyer and the prosecutor’s office have agreed to the continuance, stating, "in the interest of justice and to avoid any potential ineffective assistance of counsel, this case needs to be continued." Judge Anthony D'Apolito's court confirmed the delay on Monday.

The murder charge stems from the fatal shooting of Amya Monserrat, 15, on Aug. 13, 2023, outside a tavern on Southern Boulevard. Monserrat was killed after a fight erupted in gunfire at a party.

Another suspect in the case, 23-year-old Saun Peterson, remains in the Mahoning County Jail awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty in November to involuntary manslaughter, felonious assault, improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle, and obstructing justice.

Saun Peterson
Saun Peterson  

 This is not the first time the trial has been postponed. Court records indicate the trial has been rescheduled five times since Sellers' indictment.

Sellers faces charges of murder, felonious assault, and involuntary manslaughter with gun specifications. He has been in the Mahoning County jail on a $500,000 bond since his indictment.