CLEVELAND — Seven people are facing homicide or drug trafficking-related charges related to a Cleveland woman’s overdose death last year, police revealed Tuesday.
Cuyahoga County court records show a grand jury indicted the group on various counts related to the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (otherwise known as RICO) on Feb. 24, more than nine months after 36-year-old Stephanie Barath was found dead inside her apartment on the city’s south side. Cleveland police claim the defendants have ties to a Mexican drug cartel, spurring the need for an organized crime investigation.
The seven defendants are as follows (all are from Cleveland unless otherwise noted):
- Demario Jones, 27
- Jasmin Cassandra Fay, 34
- Robert Ferguson, 35
- Gregory Johnson Jr., 29
- Kayla McKenzie, 34 (Brooklyn)
- Brittany Weaver, 34
- Joseph Cuevas, 39 (Lorain)
Per the indictments, the charges against Jones, Fay, Ferguson, and Johnson include involuntary manslaughter. They along with the others also face various accusations that include trafficking cocaine and fentanyl, aggravated robbery, and conspiracy…