Judge disputes man's claim that Columbus shooting was an attempt to prevent suicide
A 31-year-old man will serve at least 24 years in prison before he is able to ask for parole after unsuccessfully arguing a fatal shooting was a mistake while trying to prevent the victim from committing suicide.
Xavier Wilks, 31, maintains the Sept. 16, 2021, fatal shooting of 23-year-old Travis Knisely was self-defense.
"I'm not a cold-blooded murderer and only me, God and Travis know that," Wilks said during his sentencing hearing Thursday afternoon.
In March, a jury found Wilks guilty of murder and aggravated robbery in connection with Knisley's death and not guilty of aggravated murder and another charge of murder in the case.
Knisely was found shot around 11:45 p.m. on Sept. 16, 2021, near the intersection of South Nelson Road and East Main Street on the city's Near East Side.
Wilks testified at his trial that he had been planning to give Narcan, a substance that reverses the effects of opiate overdoses, to Knisely.
However, Judge Chris Brown said he didn't find Wilks' testimony credible and he believed Wilks had picked Knisely, who Wilks assumed would be unable to defend himself, as an easy robbery target. Wilks hadn't been planning on Knisely having a gun or being willing to fight back, Brown said.
The altercation between Wilks and Knisely was captured on surveillance video from a nearby business that was played during trial.
"Mr. Wilks gave rise to the situation. Mr. Wilks is the one who initiated the struggle. Mr. Wilks is the one who drew first," Brown said.
Wilks testified at trial Knisely was trying to commit suicide and Wilks was attempting to disarm Knisely when the shooting took place.
Knisely's mother spoke at Thursday's sentencing hearing, saying her son was generous with his time and money and will never get to meet the son who was born after his death.
Brown sentenced Wilks to life in prison without the possibility of parole for at least 24 years.
Earlier this year, prosecutors asked Brown to dismiss all charges against Wilks' co-defendant, Muhammad Abdul-Malik. Brown granted the request on March 26, according to court records.
The charges against Abdul-Malik were dismissed because "evidence at a co-defendant's trial tends to exonerate" the 22-year-old.
Abdul-Malik had been held in custody since his arrest in November 2021.
Fatal rifle shot fired in bar fight leads to life sentence
A 36-year-old man with no prior criminal history will spend at least two decades in prison after fatally shooting a man in the back during an October 2022 fight outside a bar.
Charles B. Williams, of the South Side, had been found guilty by a jury in March of counts of murder, tampering with evidence, felonious assault and discharging a firearm on a roadway in connection with the Oct. 22, 2022, fatal shooting of 40-year-old Jeffrey Chandler.
Judge Kim Brown sentenced Williams to a term of life in prison without the possibility of parole for 21 years. Brown heard from Chandler's mother and daughter during a hearing Friday morning, as well as several members of Williams' family who spoke on his behalf.
"He deserved better than to be taken," Sheryl Chandler, Chandler's mother, said in a statement read by a victim advocate after she was overcome with emotion.
On the night of the shooting, Williams, Chandler, 52-year-old Lee Gill and 35-year-old Dominic Elmore got into an argument in the parking lot outside the Platform Lounge off Country Club Drive near East Main Street.
During the argument, prosecutors said Gill and Elmore pulled guns and began firing at Chandler's vehicle. Video from the bar showed Williams running to a vehicle, grabbing a rifle and firing at Chandler as well. Chandler is seen on the video getting out of his car and running a short distance before being shot and collapsing.
The Franklin County Coroner's office found during an autopsy that Williams died after being shot by a rifle round in the back.
Gill and Elmore were both charged in connection with Chandler's death as well. Gill went to trial at the same time as Williams, however, the jury in the case was unable to reach a unanimous verdict in Gill's case.
Elmore took a plea agreement in the case and has been sentenced to a term of four years of probation after pleading guilty to misdemeanor assault.
Gill's case is currently scheduled to go back to trial in May.
Woman given 18-year prison term for fatal shooting
Cassandra Franklin, 41, entered a guilty plea to charges of involuntary manslaughter and aggravated robbery. According to court records, Franklin admitted to fatally shooting Michael Sarratt, 36, on Feb. 22, 2023, inside an apartment on Rankin Avenue on the city's Northeast Side.
Columbus police identified Franklin as a suspect in the homicide in March 2023.
Court records indicate Franklin had intended to argue self-defense had the case gone to trial, citing prior "acts of violence or aggression" by Sarratt against Franklin and others.
Judge Dan Hawkins ordered Franklin to serve a term of at least 18 years and no more than 23.5 years in prison as a result of a plea deal in the case.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: A Columbus man said a gun went off as he tried to stop a suicide. The judge disagreed.
