On August 3^rd 2011 eleven year old Carmella Holley was safe inside her family’s apartment until a stray bullet pierced the wall and killed her.   Prosecutors say 26 year old Vernon Singleton fired the shot.  He was allegedly in a gunfight on the street with 19 year old Terrance Roane. Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh their key witness is no longer cooperating as they were preparing to go to trial.

“We could force him to get on the witness stand. We could arrest him as a material witness.  We could bring him to court; we could make him sit on that witness stand.  We can’t make him speak and we can’t make him tell the same statement that he gave.  It’s very risky when you have a witness who is that uncooperative.”

Under double jeopardy rules,  prosecutors would not be allowed to retry the case if they lose. Five years ago a similar case occurred when 18 year old Shawrica Lester was killed in the crossfire from two gangs of teenagers at an Akron dance club.  Witnesses refused to testify.  

“We definitely have a problem in Akron with what can be referred to as the ‘no snitching culture.’  There are a lot of unsolved murders, particularly in the African American community that have not been solved because no one is coming forward.  There are a lot of cases where we know there were witnesses where someone would have to know something. And unfortunately there are so many individuals who say “ I don’t know anything and I don’t want to get involved. And ultimately what happens is killers are walking free in our streets.”

In the Singleton case, prosecutors were up against a time deadline.  They were expecting to go to trial within the next two weeks.

Singleton is also facing charges connecting with a shooting and wounding of a woman in December.