Cleveland man pleads guilty in murder of Cleveland police detective, Cleveland man in 2020

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - David McDaniel, 21, pleaded guilty 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, according to a release from the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor.

“The death of Detective Skernivitz and the citizen who volunteered to assist him were a result of senseless acts of gun violence and remains a heart-breaking day for our community,” said Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley. “This tragedy has impacted all of us, and I hope today helps provide the families, fellow officers, and our community with some semblance of justice.”

On Sept. 3, 2020, David McDaniel, Kevin Robinson, 17 at the time, and a 15-year-old attempted to rob Detective Skernivitz and another man inside their car near West 65th Street and West 67th Place in Cleveland.

McDaniel and Robinson fired multiple shots, hitting both victims.

Afterward, all three fled the scene.

Both victims were incapacitated after being shot and crashed the car into a nearby playgrounf.

CDP responded to the scene after not hearing from the victims.

Cleveland EMS transported the victims to a nearby hospital, where they were pronounced dead.

An investigation was conducted by CDP’s Homicide Unit, Narcotics Unit, Intelligence Unit, NICE Unit, and Real Time Crime Center, along with the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office, connecting all three suspects to the crime.

McDaniel and Robinson were arrested on Sept. 6, and the 15-year-old was arrested on Sept. 8.

The investigation also showed that Brittany Cremeans, Rodney Cremeans, and Antonio Darby lied about their roles to officers, 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

McDaniel also pleaded guilty to the following count on an unrelated case:

• One count of Abduction

McDaniel will be sentenced on April 13 at 1:00 p.m.

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 in prison.

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 Sept. 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.

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