Jury returns verdict in fatal Coitsville crash case

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) — Jurors on Wednesday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court found a North Carolina man guilty of the April 2025 crash that caused the death of a New Castle, Pa., man. Jurors found Robert Powell, 25, guilty of aggravated vehicular homicide, a second-degree felony; improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, a fifth-degree felony; and operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, a first-degree misdemeanor. The verdict came after jurors heard closing arguments Wednesday morning and deliberated for less than two hours before reaching their verdicts. Trial began Tuesday in front of Judge Anthony Donofrio after a jury was picked Monday. Powell was accused of causing an April 10, 2025, crash at U.S. 422 and North Hubbard Road in Coitsville that killed John Klunis, 62. Klunis died at St. Elizabeth Health Center. Powell was charged with a gun offense because two guns were found in his truck. It is illegal in Ohio to have a handgun in a vehicle when a person is drunk. A witness testified Tuesday that he smelled alcohol on Powell’s breath after the crash. Powell had been free on $100,000 bond, but that bond was revoked by Judge Donofrio following the verdicts. A sentencing date has not been set yet.