CLEVELAND – Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley announced that David McDaniel, 21, was sentenced to life in prison with the first eligibility of parole after 50 years for the murder of Cleveland Division of Police (CDP) Detective James Skernivitz, 53, and another man, 50, in a parking lot near West 65th Street in Cleveland in 2020.

On September 3, 2020, David McDaniel, Kevin Robinson, 17 at the time, and one juvenile, 15, approached Detective James Skernivitz and another male inside their vehicle and attempted to rob them near West 65th Street and West 67th Place in Cleveland. McDaniel and Robinson fired multiple shots, striking both victims. Afterward, all three fled the scene. Upon being shot, both victims were incapacitated and crashed the vehicle into a nearby playground. CDP officers responded to the scene after not receiving a response from the victims. Cleveland Emergency Medical Services responded and transported both victims to a nearby hospital where they were pronounced deceased.

An investigation was conducted by CDP’s Homicide Unit, Narcotics Unit, Intelligence Unit, NICE Unit, and Real Time Crime Center, along with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office. They connected McDaniel, Robinson, and the juvenile to the crime. McDaniel and Robinson were arrested on September 6. The 15-year-old was arrested on September 8. The investigation also revealed that Brittany Cremeans, Rodney Cremeans, and Antonio Darby lied about their roles to law enforcement and helped dispose of the suspected murder weapons.

On March 16, 2023, David McDaniel pleaded guilty to the following charges:

  • Two counts of Aggravated Murder
  • Two counts of Aggravated Robbery

He was sentenced to life in prison with the first eligibility of parole after 50 years.

On July 6, 2022, Kevin Robinson pleaded guilty to the following charges:

  • Two counts of Aggravated Murder
  • Two counts of Robbery

 He was sentenced to life in prison with the first eligibility of parole after 28 years. Under Ohio law, the juvenile maximum penalty is life in prison with first eligibility of parole after 30 years.

On April 27, 2022, Rodney Cremeans pleaded guilty to the following charges:

  • One count of Attempted Tampering With Evidence
  • One count of Attempted Obstructing Justice

He was sentenced to two years of community control.

On September 14, 2022, Brittany Cremeans pleaded guilty to the following charges:

  • One count of Tampering With Evidence
  • Two counts of Obstructing Justice

She was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

On December 13, 2022, Antonio Darby pleaded guilty to the following charges:

  • One count of Tampering With Evidence
  • Two counts of Obstructing Justice

He was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

On March 27, 2023, Jacob Runyan and Chase Cominsky pleaded guilty to the following charges:

  • One count of Cheating (felony of the fifth degree with forfeiture of the boat used in the fishing tournament that was seized on October 11, 2022)
  • One count of Unlawful Ownership of Wild Animals (misdemeanor of the fourth degree)