The final suspect charged in the 2022 killing of a pregnant woman in Akron received his sentence on Wednesday.
Lenier Worthy, 21, previously pleaded guilty to two counts of involuntary manslaughter with a firearm along with improperly handling a firearm in a motor vehicle. Summit County Common Pleas Judge Alison McCarty sentenced Worthy to between 15 and 19 1/2 years in prison, bringing an end to a lengthy legal ordeal that began with the shooting death of 21-year-old Teyurra Harris and her unborn child more than two years ago.
On the evening of April 14, 2022, Worthy was socializing in Akron with Jaunte Smith, Jaevaiaire Small, and an 18-year-old woman when a car carrying Darrion Rackley, Zyeir Saunders, Antonil Whitaker, and Jeremiah Williams parked nearby on Rockaway Street. Harris had been in another vehicle that pulled up between the two groups when the driver of her vehicle stuck his head out the window, and Rackley, Saunders, Whitaker, and Williams started shooting.
The teen woman who was with Worthy, Smith, and Small was struck in the leg by a bullet, and the trio then returned fire thinking the gunshots were coming from the car carrying Harris. Harris was fatally shot in the head, having merely been an innocent bystander and six weeks pregnant at the time.
The other six suspects other than Worthy had initially faced murder charges, but all eventually accepted plea deals involving lesser offenses. Their sentences ended up as follows:
- Zyeir Saunders: 35-40 1/2 years
- Darrion Rackley: 34-39 1/2 years
- Antonil Whitaker: 20-24 years
- Jeremiah Williams: 20-24 years
- Jaevaiaire Small: 4 years
- Jaunte Smith: 2 1/2 years
Summit County Prosecutor Elliot Kolkovich released the following statement Wednesday:
"Gun violence, particularly when it causes the death of someone caught in the crossfire, diminishes our entire community. I continue to offer my sympathies to the victim's family as they recover from the loss of their loved one. Thank you to the Akron Police Department for their investigative work and to my assistant prosecutors for holding all seven of the defendants involved in this shooting accountable for their actions."
