Published Tuesday, June 15, 1999 During a 3 1/2-hour hearing, Daronica Cozart said Ronald Fuller, the 23-year-old accused killer, intended to "get" a man linked to a February burglary, or anyone close to him.
That man was Lindsay Lowe, who pleaded guilty to robbery and identified Ms. Cozart as having a role in the robbery. Lowe was known to frequent the Sharon house where Jeremy lived and was killed.
Prosecutors said they are contemplating seeking the death penalty for Fuller.
Fuller is charged with criminal homicide, burglary, possession of a prohibited offensive weapon and possession of an instrument of a crime in connection with the May 30 slaying. At the conclusion of Monday's preliminary hearing, District Justice James E. McMahon held the charges to Mercer County Court of Common Pleas and Fuller was returned to the county jail.
Jeremy was shot at about 1 a.m. in his home at 575 Prindle St., police said. He died of single gunshot blast to the right neck area, according to the autopsy.
Assistant District Attorney Timothy Bonner said he will decide within 30 days whether "aggravating circumstances" warrant seeking the death penalty. The aggravating circumstances may include burglary, Fuller's criminal record and the age of the victim, he said.
Police said early in the investigation they did not believe Jeremy was the intended target, that the house was. Testimony supported their theory.
Ms. Cozart and Leteesha Hubbard testified Fuller was upset with Lowe for turning in Ms. Cozart.
"He (Fuller) was mad because it was Lindsay's testimony that got her arrested," Ms. Hubbard said.
Ms. Cozart, Lowe, Tionte Davis and Larry Cozart Jr., were charged in a Feb. 25 robbery at 109 N. Irvine Ave., Sharon. Ms. Cozart is accused of supplying a BB gun and driving the car to the scene where the three men demanded money from the residents at gunpoint.
About $1,800 and a puppy were taken during the robbery. Ms. Cozart posted $50,000 bond May 28; Jeremy was killed at 1 a.m. May 30.
After her release, Ms. Cozart said, Fuller asked her where Lowe lived. She told him she had dropped Lowe off the night of the robbery at 575 Prindle.
Ms. Hubbard and Ms. Cozart testified they saw Fuller before and after Jeremy's death. Fuller told them he killed the boy, they said.
Both testified to the following:
Ms. Hubbard said she overheard Fuller talking about the newspaper article, pointing to the pictures and saying, "I made that boy famous. I put him in the newspaper and on TV."
"He was proud," Ms. Hubbard said. "He was pretty happy."
Both women testified Fuller bragged about the killing, pointing out inaccuracies in the newspaper's account, including the type of weapon and the leads police were tracking. Fuller saved the newspaper to show his girlfriend, they said.
Family and friends of Jeremy, who had to pass through metal detectors to enter the magistrate's office, sobbed as the women described Fuller's reactions to the slaying.
Ms. Cozart testified she saw green shotgun shells the day after the slaying in Ms. Campbell's home at 823 Emerson Ave., Farrell. Fuller had lived there on and off, police said; they listed no permanent address for him.
Although Sharon police are awaiting laboratory results, Capt. Wayne Martin testified similar green casings were found in Jeremy's body and at the scene. Martin said police found a sawed-off shotgun under a bed in Ms. Campbell's home and removed five green shells from it.
On cross-examination, Fuller's court-appointed attorney, Wayne Hundertmark of Venango County, suggested Ms. Cozart knew about the shells because she gave the shotgun to Fuller after she shot Jeremy. He also asked her if she had a reputation in Farrell for providing people with weapons like a green duffel bag containing three guns that she gave to Fuller after Jeremy was slain.
As Ms. Cozart responded, "No," to each of Hundertmark's accusations, Fuller shook his head and rocked in his chair.
Also testifying Monday was one of three friends watching TV with Jeremy the night he was killed.
She said they heard the gun blast, saw Jeremy fall and heard a car drive away, but didn't see anyone.
