Criminal charges have been dismissed against a Canton woman accused of helping destroy evidence following the shooting deaths of two women inside an apartment that was set on fire in August.
A Stark County grand jury declined to indict Melissa F. Terrell, 41, who had faced charges of aggravated arson, tampering with evidence and obstructing justice in connection with the deaths of Katina C. Spells, 42, of Canton, and Kourtni D. Yeager, 31, of Massillon.
Terrell was among five people initially charged in connection with the case. She was arrested Aug. 17 in Massillon by the U.S. Marshals Service after authorities issued a warrant for her arrest.
The decision marks another dismissal in the case. Charges also have been dropped against Emily M. Rider, who had been accused of hiding Terrell’s whereabouts while authorities were searching for her.
The investigation began Aug. 9 when Canton firefighters responded to a fire at Skyline Terrace Apartments, 712 Alan Page Drive SE.
Officers were called to the scene around 10 a.m. after firefighters discovered two women inside an apartment. Both had suffered severe burns and injuries that investigators determined were unrelated to the fire.
Spells and Yeager were transported to local hospitals, where they were pronounced dead.
Canton police later confirmed that both women had suffered gunshot wounds, prompting investigators to classify their deaths as a double homicide.
As the investigation progressed, police identified three suspects and obtained arrest warrants.
Darrell Washington, 46, of Canton, was wanted on charges of aggravated murder and aggravated arson. Eric R. Lamar, 43, of Canton, and Terrell were accused of aggravated arson, tampering with evidence and obstructing justice.
Investigators alleged that the fire was intentionally set to destroy evidence connected to the killings.
Before the discovery of the bodies, Spells’ family had reported her missing after relatives had not seen her since early Aug. 7.
According to a missing person report previously obtained by Jordan Miller News, Spells was last seen by a family member after being dropped off at a residence on Ninth Street SW around 2:34 a.m. Yeager had also been with the group earlier that night.
A vehicle belonging to one of the women was later reportedly found abandoned near 17th Street and Shorb Avenue in Canton.
The grand jury’s decision not to indict Terrell means the charges against her have been dismissed. The dismissal does not, by itself, establish whether she was involved in the alleged crimes.
The current status of the charges against Washington and Lamar was not provided in the latest information.
