Politics & Government

Waterbury Avenue Shooting Trial to Begin This Week

Frederick Burt, 31, of Cleveland, faces a host of charges stemming from a robbery-gone-bad on Jan. 6.

The trial is expected to begin Wednesday for a Cleveland man suspected of participating in a , where he was shot in the leg and his 17-year-old stepbrother was killed on Jan. 6.

If convicted, Frederick Burt, 31, faces life in prison.

He is charged with felony murder after he and his stepbrother, Charles Wilson, allegedly attempted to rob the home at 2051 Waterbury Avenue.

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That’s when .

Police say that a , and shot and killed Wilson.

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Burt ran out of the home and was shot in the leg in the driveway. 

Burt, who has recovered from his gunshot wound, was charged with felony murder — a statute designed to charge a suspect when someone is killed during the commission of a felony.

“He was there to commit a very heinous crime, an armed robbery,” said Lakewood Law Director Kevin Butler earlier this year. “That’s why this statute exists.”

Burt faces other charges including aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery, kidnapping and having weapons while under disability. 

There have been seven continuances in the case since Burt was arraigned Jan. 25.

According to court records, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Dick Ambrose ruled that no additional continuances would be granted.

Burt was “not interested in pursuing a plea and wishes to proceed to trial,” according to court records.

The trial is slated to begin at 9 a.m. Wednesday. 

The case for the 17-year-old Cleveland boy suspected of shooting Wilson is still pending in Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court.

Other cases resolved

  • Andre Daniel, 26, of 1588 Lakewood Avenue, originally suspected in the shooting, pleaded guilty earlier this year of tampering with evidence. He was sentenced to probation.
  • Daniel’s co-defendant, Heather Tuel, 34, also of 1588 Lakewood Avenue, pleaded guilty in April of obstructing justice. She was sentenced to one-and-a-half years of probation.
  • Deon Allen, 18, of Georgia, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of obstructing official business in in January. He was sentenced by Judge Patrick Carroll to a year of probation and fined $250.
  • Ronald Perry, 21, of 2034 Richland Avenue, also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of obstructing official business. Carroll sentenced him to a year of probation and fined him $250.


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