Youngstown man accused of capital murder rejects plea deal

At his final pretrial hearing in advance of a scheduled June 17 capital murder trial, defendant Brendan Daviduk, 30, of Youngstown, has rejected a plea deal offer.

The offer would have given him a potential 32 year to life prison sentence in exchange for guilty pleas in the aggravated murder/arson death of a 16-year-old Warren girl in January 2023.

Daviduk and two others were facing eight felonies including death penalty specifications stemming from the house fire on Nevada Avenue NW in Warren that killed Chassidy Broadstone and injured two other teens. After conferring with his lawyers, Daviduk told Common Pleas Judge Sean O’Brien on May 30 that he did not wish to go forward with a guilty plea and understood that he could face the death penalty if he’s convicted of capital murder by a jury at trial.

One co-defendant Zachery Gurd, 24, of Youngstown, has already pleaded guilty to felonies and has made statements to prosecutors in exchange for his death penalty specifications being dropped.

Another co-defendant, Patricia Zarlingo, 28, of Youngstown, also has a capital murder trial scheduled for Judge O’Brien’s courtroom on July 23. She is scheduled for a pre-trial on June 11.

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