Trumbull County man gets life without parole for shooting death of sister

A Brookfield man has been given a life without parole prison sentence after a jury in March found him guilty of aggravated murder and abuse of a corpse.

John Zanolli, 62, was convicted after a three-day trial of fatally shooting his sister Janice Zanolli, 65, twice inside the Masury home they shared in February 2025.

Testimony from investigators showed that Janice’s body was found several days after she was killed and that Zanolli was in the home threatening suicide when officers first arrived.

Evidence showed Zanolli had stayed in the house for three days after the killing, going out to a store and restaurant for food and cigarettes. On the third day, Janice’s body was discovered by another brother and his girlfriend.

First Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Becker said he was pleased with the prison sentence handed down by Judge Sean J. O’Brien. Becker also thanked “the investigative efforts of Brookfield police officer John Bizub, Sgt. Cody Dean and Brookfield detective Jon Setser well as Trumbull County Homicide Task Force detective Josh Merrill from Girard who all testified at trial and assisted in the investigation.”

Becker said after the verdict that defendant Zanolli had admitted to planning to kill his sister for months, which satisfied the element that the murder was premeditated.

Zanolli was defended by attorneys Sharay Lewis and Joshua Weemhoff, while Becker was assisted by Assistant Prosecutor Scott Stevenson at trial.