First graduate of Cuyahoga Juvenile Detention Center charged with murder

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – For the first time, the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Detention Center has a college graduate, but it’s not without controversy.

Investigator Kelly Kennedy was the only reporter present at the graduation of a 20-year-old man last Friday. She discovered that the young man was about to go on trial and was accused of very serious crimes.

“I now declare you a graduate of Cuyahoga Community College with all the rights and privileges that accrue,” said Eric Gordon, Tri-C’s senior vice president of student development, as he presented the young man with his diploma.

19 News has decided not to reveal the graduate’s name or show his face because he has not yet been tried.

“I never thought I would become the first college graduate, not only in my family, but also in a detention center,” the young man said.

The recent graduate is charged with murder and aggravated robbery, according to juvenile court records. He is one of five defendants charged with crimes related to a deadly shooting in Slavic Village in 2022.

Authorities said it was a gun deal gone wrong that ended with an 18-year-old man being shot in the chest. It’s unclear whether the 20-year-old actually shot anyone, but he will be tried for the killing on Oct. 23.

Celeste Wainwright, deputy director of the detention center, said the programs are essential to the rehabilitation of juveniles, which is always their goal.

“I think it’s important to provide them with opportunities, so that when they come back into the community, they can be law-abiding citizens, get a job in the community and maybe not have to face some of the challenges that they faced when they were in the community before they came into our care,” Wainwright said.

Wainright said the university program began in 2019.

“It was really like a college experience, but it takes a lot of time, sometimes three to four hours, sometimes eight hours, where they’re working on projects, speeches,” Wainright explained.

The juvenile detention center chose Cuyahoga Community College or Tri-C. The classes are all online. They’ve had more than a dozen participants, but this man is the first to earn his associate of arts degree.

It took the 20-year-old two years to graduate, but the process was not without its challenges.

“We try to get the outside teachers to understand and want to work with us, especially to meet deadlines, to help him navigate and learn to use a computer, to be around the other residents of the facility. There’s a lot of emotion here for everyone,” said Elizabeth Jernejcic, activities coordinator and supervisor at the detention center.

If the charges against the young man are dropped or he is found not guilty, he will walk out of the detention center with a college degree, something he says he never considered doing before he was locked up.

“The best thing I did was get to expand my mind, think, take psychology classes,” the graduate said. “That really helped me during my time here.”

He hopes to use it to one day open a clothing business.

“Even though life in a detention center is sometimes difficult, you have to persevere to improve in what you do,” the graduate said. “Everyone has the same 24 hours. The only difference is what each person does with their 24 hours.”

The juvenile detention center hopes more people will follow in their footsteps and take advantage of their online college program.