WARREN — The Ohio 11th District Court of Appeals has upheld the conviction and 15-years-to-life prison sentence of a Warren woman involved in the death of another woman in November 2022.

The appellate decision, issued Dec. 24, affirmed the verdict reached by a Trumbull County jury nearly a year ago.

Kenyanna Pennock, 38, was convicted Jan. 18, 2024, on charges of murder, felonious assault and reckless homicide in the death of Jesare’e Harris, 36. The fatal incident occurred outside a Parkman Road NW nightspot, where testimony revealed that Harris was on the hood of Pennock’s Dodge Dart, traveling at speeds averaging 50 mph for about 2,495 feet. Harris sustained severe head injuries and died six days later.

During her trial, which lasted two days, evidence showed Harris clung to the vehicle’s hood for at least 34 seconds before falling off, resulting in fatal brain injuries. Pennock was sentenced by Trumbull County Common Pleas Judge Andrew D. Logan shortly after the jury’s decision.

In her appeal, Pennock’s defense argued three points: that the trial court erred by not instructing the jury on self-defense, that the evidence was insufficient to support the guilty verdicts and that the prosecution failed to establish the necessary intent for the offenses. However, the appellate panel, led by Judge Robert Patton and joined by Judges Mary Jane Trapp and John J. Eklund, found no merit in these claims.

Trumbull County Assistant Prosecutor Michael Burnett represented the state during the trial, while Assistant Prosecutor Ryan J. Sanders handled the appeal. Pennock will continue serving her sentence at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville.