Jolonda Murry

Jolonda Murry was a 27-year-old Black woman from Youngstown, Ohio, who dreamed of helping others. According to her mother, Sheauntie Murry, Jolonda had long wanted to start a giveaway for homeless women and hoped to get a van to transport them to places where they could find assistance. A mother of three, Jolonda’s family wants her to be remembered for her giving spirit and her desire to do things for others, not for the violence that ended her life.

In the early morning of December 22, 2020, at approximately 5:25 a.m., Jolonda was shot while driving a car on Halleck Street, between Logan Avenue and Elm Street on the city’s North Side. She was rushed to St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital, where she fought for her life for four days before succumbing to her injuries on December 26. Her death was recorded as the 28th homicide in Youngstown that year.

During the initial investigation, police learned that another woman had been in the car with Jolonda when the shooting occurred. Authorities stated that this woman was not a suspect but that they wanted to speak with her about the incident. She was described as a thin Black woman in her 30s who was possibly pregnant. Police asked anyone with information about the case or the woman in the car to contact Detective Sgt. Robert Gentile at 330-742-8236.

An arrest was made in connection with the homicide. Gregory D. Richardson II, 36, who was already being held in the Mahoning County jail on an unrelated charge, was identified as the suspect. A grand jury later indicted him on charges of aggravated murder with three firearm specifications, two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and one count of criminal damaging or endangering.

As of November 2021, the case against Richardson was proceeding through the court system. In Jolonda's memory, her family began a series of soup and sandwich giveaways for people in need, fulfilling her dream under the name "Lady Jo's Brown Bag."