Chassidy Broadstone
Zachary Gurd, Brendan Daviduk, and Patricia Zarlingo
Three may face death penalty in Chassidy Broadstone death
Daviduk, Gurd, Zarlingo indicted on murder, arson counts
By Guy Vogrin
Tribune Chronicle
WARREN — The three people arrested in connection to the Jan. 19 arson that killed 16-year-old Harding student Chassidy Broadstone were indicted Thursday by a Trumbull County grand jury on death penalty-level charges.
Judge Sean J. O’Brien signed the special grand jury report that charges Brendan Michael Daviduk, 28, and Patricia Ann Zarlingo, 27, both of Manchester Avenue in Youngstown; and Zackary Gurd, 23, also of Youngstown; with the crimes.
All three are facing two counts of aggravated murder with specification of aggravating circumstances that carry the death penalty as a possible sentence, two counts of attempted aggravated murder, first-degree aggravated arson, second-degree aggravated arson, aggravated burglary and tampering with evidence.
Daviduk and Zarlingo are being held without bond in Trumbull County jail, while Gurd is being held in Chester, Va., after he was arrested Feb. 3 by U.S. Marshals.
Arraignments for Daviduk and Zarlingo are set for 10 a.m. today before O’Brien, while Gurd is awaiting a waiver of extradition hearing set for Feb. 23 in a Virginia court.
Prosecutors confirmed this is a death penalty-level case, because state law provides for aggravating circumstances that other crimes were being committed while the murder was taking place and the offenses were committed with prior calculation and design.
FIRE AFTERMATH
Daviduk and Zarlingo were arrested Feb. 1 at their home on the West Side of Youngstown when police noted a U-Haul van in the driveway.
Detectives at a news conference last week said Gurd had lived with the other two in the Manchester Avenue home.
Investigators developed information that Gurd fled the Mahoning Valley area on a Greyhound bus and was heading south, potentially toward Florida.
Task force members obtained information last Thursday afternoon that Gurd got off the bus in Richmond, Va., and fled on foot. U.S. Marshals in Virginia tracked him from the bus station in Richmond to the 1200 block of Iron Bridge Road in Chester, Va., where he was arrested.
Detectives placed Gurd at the scene of the fatal fire on Nevada Avenue NW in Warren by cellphone tracking and video cameras, according to an affidavit written by detective Michael Altiere.
Detectives publicly have lauded the help given by members of the community in providing information after police released two photos taken from video at the fire scene — one of a suspect and another of the suspicious SUV that was at the scene.
Detectives later identified through information given by witnesses that the SUV belonged to Zarlingo.
According to police detectives, it is believed that Gurd started the fire after he was caught on video carrying a gas can around the garage area of the Nevada home. The video also caught the man being thrown back against a wall and then shortly afterward, flames were coming from a doorway of the home.
Video evidence also shows two people carrying items, a television and a video game system, out of the Nevada home before the fire started.
Fire marshals stated the fire started somewhere on the first floor and there were traces of gasoline found at the origin site.
There were some children in common with the defendants and Chassidy’s family and it is believed that there was an ongoing feud regarding child support between the parents, police have said.
Police went on to clarify that Chassidy, whose body was found in a second-floor bathroom, was not involved in this dispute.
Broadstone’s two siblings managed to escape the fire by going through a window onto the roof of the porch and then jumping off.
https://www.tribtoday.com/news/local...adstone-death/
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