CLEVELAND — Waunyae Arrington, the Cleveland man accused of fatally shooting a man outside a Dunkin' in Garfield Heights earlier this month, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Friday in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.
Bond for Arrington was set at $1 million with a pretrial meeting set for Nov. 7.
Earlier this week, the 29-year-old Arrington was indicted by a Cuyahoga County grand jury on the following charges related to the death of Jose Ervin.
- One count of aggravated murder
- Two counts of murder
- Two counts of felonious assault
- One count of having weapons under disability
Each of the charges against Arrington contain firearms specifications of one and three years. Several of the other charges also have repeat violent offender specifications, plus notice of prior conviction specifications.
Cuyahoga County records show Arrington has a criminal history dating back to 2018, with prior convictions for weapons charges and robbery. Most recently, he served an 18-month prison sentence that began in 2021.
Also named on the indictment is 37-year-old Candace Rose Hinton of Cleveland. She faces two counts of obstructing justice and will be arraigned on Nov. 6.
CASE HISTORY
Garfield Heights police say it was around 2:45 a.m. on Oct. 4 when first responders were called to the area of Turney Road and McCracken Road for multiple reports of shots fired.
Upon arrival, police found 32-year-old Jose Ervin of Maple Heights lying near a Dunkin’ location. He was taken to Marymount Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation confirmed to 3News that their Crime Scene Unit was requested by the Garfield Heights Police Department to assist with the investigation.
In an interview with 3News' Mitti Hicks, Ervin's family theorized that Ervin asked two women he knew for a cigarette before a man with the women, allegedly Arrington, shot him.
"It's been hell, it has, because it's like my worst nightmare come to reality," Ervin's widow Scierra, who shared twins with Ervin and is currently pregnant with their third child, said. "This is my biggest fear, and I'm forced to live in it."
Arrington was taken into custody on Oct. 15 in Columbus.
3News' Tyler Carey and Ryan Haidet contributed to this report
