Darrell Lesane Jr. Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison For 2020 Murder at Mac’s Club in Woodsdale
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WHEELING -- A Wheeling man was sentenced Thursday to 30 years in prison, pleading guilty to shooting another man dead at a Woodsdale bar.
Darrell Lesane Jr. pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, Ohio County Assistant Prosecutor Shawn Turak said. As part of the plea agreement, he waived any parole rights until he has served at least 15 years of his sentence.
Lesane shot and killed Donaven White on June 13, 2020, following a fight at Mac's Club in Woodsdale. Investigators said that, following the original fight, security cameras showed Lesane leaving the club and returning with a gun. He opened fire and hit White, who fell to the ground and crawled behind the bar.
White was taken to Wheeling Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. A witness who was injured in the shooting was able to identify Lesane. Lesane turned himself in to Wheeling Police after a six-day search.
Turak said the plea agreement had been negotiated through the end of June. She said the guaranteed length of the sentence is the same as a conviction in West Virginia for first-degree murder with mercy. Someone convicted on that charge must serve a minimum of 15 years.
"That is, in my estimation, the equivalent of a first-degree murder sentence with mercy," she said. "And I absolutely believe that's a fair result in this case."
She also was pleased that the case was closed quickly, and that no one was forced into a drawn out process. Even after Lesane is eligible for parole, White's family can object to him receiving it.
"Those cases can drag on for decades," she said. "And I don't want to put a (victim's) family through that if we can achieve a result as strong as the one we achieved in this one."