John Zanolli. Contributed photo.
John Zanolli, who is accused of killing his sister in the family home in Masury, has rejected a plea deal in his murder case.
“We’re going to trial,” Trumbull County Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Becker told Common Pleas Court Judge Sean O’Brien Aug. 6 at Zanolli’s pretrial hearing.
O’Brien set trial for Sept. 15.
If Zanolli had taken the deal, prosecutors would have asked that the penalty of one of the charges run concurrently with the others and that Zanolli be eligible for parole after serving 23 years in prison, Becker said.
If convicted of all counts, Zanolli, 61, of 7938 Third St., could be sentenced to life in prison without eligibility for parole, Becker said.
Brookfield police discovered the body of Janice Zanolli, 65, on March 1 after they were asked to conduct a welfare check at the home she shared with her brother, police said.
Police said they believe Janice Zanolli was shot to death Feb. 26 and her brother had been with the body since then. John Zanolli was home when police arrived to conduct the welfare check and was found with a rifle to his head saying he was going to take his own life, police said.
Police said they negotiated with John Zanolli for about 30 minutes, then used Tasers to subdue him and remove the rifle from him.
Zanolli was indicted on charges of aggravated murder and abuse of a corpse.
