CLEVELAND - Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley announced that David McDaniel, 21, pleaded guilty for the murder of Cleveland Division of Police (CDP) Detective James Skernivitz, 53, and another man, 50, in a parking lot near West 65th Street in Cleveland in 2020
“The death of Detective Skernivitz and the citizen who volunteered to assist him were a result of senseless acts of gun violence and remains a heart-breaking day for our community,” said Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley. “This tragedy has impacted all of us, and I hope today helps provide the families, fellow officers, and our community with some semblance of justice.”
On September 3, 2020, David McDaniel, Kevin Robinson, 17 at the time, and one juvenile, 15, approached Detective James Skernivitz and another male inside their vehicle and attempted to rob them near West 65th Street and West 67th Place in Cleveland. McDaniel and Robinson fired multiple shots, striking both victims. Afterward, all three fled the scene. Upon being shot, both victims were incapacitated and crashed the vehicle into a nearby playground. CDP officers responded to the scene after not receiving a response from the victims. Cleveland Emergency Medical Services responded and transported both victims to a nearby hospital, where they were pronounced deceased.
CDP’s Homicide Unit conducted an investigation, the Narcotics Unit, Intelligence Unit, NICE Unit, and Real Time Crime Center, along with the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office. They connected McDaniel, Robinson, and the juvenile to the crime. McDaniel and Robinson were arrested on September 6. The 15- year-old was arrested on September 8. The investigation also revealed that Brittany Cremeans, Rodney Cremeans, and Antonio Darby lied about their roles in law enforcement and helped dispose of the suspected murder weapons.
On March 16, 2023, David McDaniel pleaded guilty to the following charges:
- Two counts of Aggravated Murder
- Two counts of Aggravated Robbery McDaniel also pleaded guilty to the following count on an unrelated case:
- One count of Abduction
McDaniel will be sentenced on April 13 at 1:00 p.m.
On July 6, 2022, Kevin Robinson pleaded guilty to the following charges:
- Two counts of Aggravated Murder
- Two counts of Robbery
He was sentenced to life in prison with the first parole eligibility after 28 years.
Under Ohio law, the juvenile maximum penalty is life in prison with first parole eligibility after 30 years.
On April 27, 2022, Rodney Cremeans pleaded guilty to the following charges:
- One count of Attempted Tampering With Evidence
- One count of Attempted Obstructing Justice
He was sentenced to two years of community control.
On September 14, 2022, Brittany Cremeans pleaded guilty to the following charges:
- One count of Tampering With Evidence
- Two counts of Obstructing Justice
She was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
On December 13, 2022, Antonio Darby pleaded guilty to the following charges:
- One count of Tampering With Evidence
- Two counts of Obstructing Justice
He was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
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