Bryanna Houston is flanked by attorneys from the Ohio and Allen County Public Defender’s Offices during her appearance in Allen County Common Pleas Court on Friday.
J Swygart | The Lima News
LIMA — A Lima woman charged with murder in the 2022 shooting death of 17-year-old Jayden Halpern was offered a plea deal Friday which, if accepted, would result in a 23-year prison sentence.
Bryanna Houston appeared in Allen County Common Pleas Court for a pre-trial hearing and learned upon arrival of the deal being offered by prosecutors.
Houston, 18, is one of six Lima area teenagers charged in Halpern’s death. She was 17 at the time of the incident but her case was bound over from Allen County Juvenile Court, where she is being tried as an adult on counts of murder, aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary — all of which include firearm specifications.
Assistant Allen County Prosecuting Attorney Josh Carp on Friday put on the official record a proposed resolution to the case that calls for Houston to plead guilty to an amended count of involuntary manslaughter as well as the aggravated robbery charge. Carp said part of the offer is that Houston would serve a 23-year prison sentence and would not seek an early judicial release.
The prosecutor said the offer will expire at the close of business on June 2. A July 26 trial for Houston has been scheduled.
Houston was represented at Friday’s hearing by Megan McLean from the Allen County Public Defender’s Office and a representative from the Ohio Public Defender’s Office.
Police say six individuals — four of them juveniles — attempted to rob Halpern on June 10, 2022, which resulted in his death. Lima Police Department Detective Steve Stechschulte said Houston “instigated” the plan in which those charged would steal marijuana and/or money and guns from Halpern, whom the detective said was a known drug dealer.
Houston is accused of attempting to lure Halpern outside the home but Stechschulte said that when that failed, three males forced their way into the entryway of the house, with one of them carrying an air rifle that resembled an AR-15 assault rifle. The two other males reportedly also carried guns — real or fake — although the air rifle was the only weapon recovered by police.
Stechschulte said that when David Halpern, Jayden’s father, saw what he believed to be an assault rifle he fired one shot. His son stepped in front of the bullet and was struck in the back.
Keion Darden and Jaquan Glenn, who were each 18 when Halpern was killed, were indicted on identical charges of murder, an unclassified felony, aggravated burglary, a first-degree felony, and aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony, each with firearms specifications, in connection with Halpern’s death.
Kayrese Garner, Brianna Patrick and Roselyn Thomas-Lewis, all minors, were also charged in the same incident.
Darden pleaded guilty in April to involuntary manslaughter and aggravated robbery and faces the same 23-year prison sentence that was offered to Houston.
