YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – A 23-year-old man from Youngstown will spend 20 ½ to 26 years behind bars after his sentencing this morning in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court. Saun Peterson had admitted to being the driver of a car involved in a deadly gun battle on Youngstown’s Southside on this date three years ago. That incident claimed the life of 15-year-old Amya Monserrat, who had been attending a party nearby.
Peterson had entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors in November 2023 to fully and completely testify against co-defendant Danyo Sellers, in exchange for an amended indictment on involuntary manslaughter and other charges. At that time, prosecutors agreed to recommend a sentence of ten years in prison. However, at trial last month, Peterson invoked his Fifth Amendment rights to avoid testifying, breaching his plea agreement. Without that critical testimony, jurors acquitted Sellers on murder charges.
In court, Assistant Prosecutor John Juhasz successfully argued the State should be permitted to void that earlier recommendation, today asking Judge Anthony D’Apolito to give Peterson a sentence of 20-and-a-half-to-26 years in behind bars for what Juhasz called “a wanton act of violence.”
For his part, Judge D’Apolito told Peterson he “subverted justice” for the victim’s family by refusing to testify, and handed down the State’s recommended sentence, which is the maximum by law, telling the Defendant, “you have to be held accountable.” Following the hearing, Mahoning County Prosecutor Lynn Maro said she is “satisfied” with the outcome. She also used the case to urge and encourage witnesses of crimes to come forward to help police and prosecutors. She said there had been nearly three dozen people in the area where the shooting took place, yet none ever provided information. Prosecutor Maro gave credit to both Atty. Juhasz as well as co-counsel Katie Jones and Youngstown Police detectives for their diligent work in this case.
