WARREN The Trumbull County Prosecutor’s Office recently recognized the investigative work of several law enforcement personnel.

The Trumbull County Homicide Investigation and Prosecution Unit event was held on Tuesday at Café 422 in Warren.

Prosecuting Attorney Dennis Watkins said the event, which includes an Awards Dinner for Police, had been revived following a hiatus during the COVID pandemic.

The awards presentation, led by the prosecutor’s staff of assistant prosecutors, recognized investigations that led to the convictions of defendants in several recent homicide cases.

One award went to Warren Detective Mike Altiere for his work in State v. Antuan Parker. The investigation into the 2021 murder resulted in a guilty verdict at trial. Parker was convicted of murder, abuse of a corpse, and set fire to a home to conceal evidence, and was sentenced to a 42-year-to-life prison term.

Awards were presented to detectives for two separate vehicular homicide investigations. Warren Detectives Nicole Smith and Eric Laprocina were honored for their investigative work in securing the conviction of Kenyana Pennock. Pennock was charged with the vehicular death of a woman following a confrontation at a Parkman Road nightclub. Prosecutors noted that Detective Laprocina used technology to synchronize traffic cameras to calculate the vehicle’s approximate speed at the time of the fatal impact.

IOhio State Highway Patrol Trooper Kevin Brown was recognized for his efforts to obtain a statement from Joseph Yuran after he was driving impaired, causing a crash at U.S. 422 and state Route 305 in Southington that killed a young driver.

Awards were presented to four Warren detectives: John Greaver, Nicole Smith, Brian Crites and Laprocina. They were recognized for their work in State v. Tyree Brown, a murder case where the defendant invaded a southwest side Warren home and killed a man in retaliation for a previous assault. Brown received a 36-year-to-life prison sentence.

A group of area detectives were recognized for their efforts in the Devonte Douglas case, a 2021 murder that crossed several jurisdictions and involved the kidnapping and killing of a woman whose body was found in the trunk of a car on a secluded Hubbard Township roadway. The detectives honored were Wayne Mackey, Mike Banic, Dan Lowery, Ray Buhala, Rob Altier and Jeff Palmer. Douglas was convicted and sentenced to a 26-year-to-life prison term.

Detectives Altiere and Laprocina were also recognized for their investigative techniques that led to guilty pleas in a 2023 fatal fire and murder case in Warren. The defendants, Patricia Zarlingo, Brendan Daviduk and Patrick Gurd, all received life prison sentences.

Awards were presented to Warren Detective Frank Tempesta and police Lt. Trevor Sumption for their efforts to investigate Zaa-Von Hameed, who was convicted of aggravated murder in a 2024 case involving a shooting at a Warren bar. Hameed received a 23-year-to-life prison sentence.

Following the awards, Warren Police Chief Eric Merkel, Detective Laprocina and Detective Altiere gave a presentation focusing on new technological advancements in their department that assist crime investigations, including software that tracks cellphone data and locations during the commission of homicides. Chief Merkel stated that this technology is open to all Trumbull County police departments for their investigations.

Watkins announced that the Prosecutor’s Office and the Warren Police Department, led by Chief Merkel, will co-sponsor a training event in the spring of 2026. The training will focus on the use of modern technology, specifically cellular telephone data and location services in criminal investigations. The event will be open at no cost to all Trumbull County police officers.

The Homicide Unit was originally formed in 1984 through the cooperation of the Prosecutor’s Office, the Trumbull County Sheriff, the Trumbull County Coroner, the Warren City Police Chief, and the Liberty Township Police Chief.