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Jurors excused after Boyer pleads guilty to stabbing

Sentencing scheduled for March 24

LISBON — Joseph Boyer opted to plead guilty to felonious assault and domestic violence for the July 7 stabbing of a woman he knows in East Liverpool, dispensing with the need for a jury trial Monday morning.

Jurors had been waiting in the hallway after reporting for duty at 8:30 a.m., earning the thanks of Columbiana County Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Washam when he called them into the courtroom shortly before 10 a.m. to explain the case had been resolved and they were free to go.

Boyer, 50, whose last known address was Ogden Street, East Liverpool, had been indicted for first-degree felony attempted murder, second-degree felony felonious assault, and fourth-degree felony domestic violence.

County Assistant Prosecutor Tammie Riley Jones, representing the state along with county Assistant Prosecutor Steve Yacovone, explained after the plea hearing that due to a legal issue with the attempted murder count, they advised the court and the defense attorneys that they wouldn’t be going forward with the attempted murder charge.

Boyer decided to enter a plea instead of going forward with the trial on the other two charges and requested a pre-sentence investigation.

Jones noted there was no plea agreement in place.

Sentencing has been scheduled for March 24. The felonious assault charge carries a possible maximum indefinite penalty of eight to 12 years in prison, with up to 18 months for the domestic violence charge. If ordered served consecutively, that could mean a maximum sentence of nine and a half years to up to 13 and a half years in prison.

Boyer remains jailed under a $100,000 cash or surety bond at the county jail. His court-appointed defense team includes defense attorneys Jennifer Gorby and Joe King.

Both Yacovone and Jones declined to comment further, pending the sentencing. Jones said the victim was notified of the plea.

The indictment had alleged that Boyer attempted to cause the death of a woman he knows at an Ogden Street residence in East Liverpool on July 7 as a result of committing or attempting to commit felonious assault.

The indictment also alleged he committed felonious assault by knowingly causing or attempting to cause harm to the victim by means of a deadly weapon, specifically a 12-inch Farberware chef’s knife and a 9-inch serrated kitchen knife. The domestic violence count was a felony because he had previously been convicted of domestic violence involving the same victim earlier in 2022.

According to an affidavit, the victim was stabbed three times in the neck and once in the wrist during the attack when the defendant began assaulting her by grabbing her by the hair, then grabbing a knife to stab her.

mgreier@mojonews.com

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