YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) — A Mahoning County Common Pleas Court judge Monday ordered a second sanity evaluation for a woman accused of a 2021 shooting death on the South Side.
Judge Anthony D’Apolito ordered the evaluation after the attorney for Jillian Russell, 40, of Youngstown, requested it.
Russell is accused of the April 12, 2020, murder of Marcus Turnage, who was found shot to death inside a home in the 500 block of Lakeview Avenue. She faces charges of aggravated murder and murder.
Russell has entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. A previous evaluation was also ordered in June. Court records do not show what the result of that evaluation was.
Russell was indicted in April 2021 by a grand jury for Turnage’s death. The case was held up in municipal court before it was bound over because Russell underwent a competency evaluation there. That evaluation found her incompetent to stand trial, but her competency was later restored and the case was bound over to the grand jury.
Russell was arrested shortly after Turnage was killed. Police said witnesses told them Turnage and Russell were arguing about the existence of God when Russell shot Turnage.
Turnage denied God existed and asked Russell why she shot him before he died, reports said witnesses told police.
Russell has been in the Mahoning County jail on $1 million bond.
