YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Nicholas Cunningham, 34, pleaded guilty to the murder of a Beloit woman in court on Friday. This plea avoided a trial that had been scheduled to begin on August 17.
Cunningham was charged with Aggravated Murder and plead guilty to the charge following a plea hearing in Judge Anthony Donofrio’s courtroom. The Mahoning County Prosecutor’s Office and Cunningham have a joint agreed-upon recommendation of 20 years to life in prison. Mahoning County Prosecutor Lynn Maro successfully negotiated the plea.
Cunningham will be sentenced on August 17 at 10 am.
Cunningham murdered Gina Wade following a dispute. Wade was found deceased at her Smith Township home in 2023. Cunningham was charged with Aggravated Murder a few weeks after the murder and the conclusion of the police investigation.
Mahoning County Prosecutor Lynn Maro credits the Smith Township Police Department, the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office and the Mahoning County Homicide Task Force for all their hard work on this case.
