Columbus man sentenced to 29 years in prison in 2022 murder case
Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Judge Mark Serrott recently sentenced Justus Robertson, 20, of Columbus, to a total term of 29 years to life in prison in connection to a shooting death that occurred in July 2022.
A jury in January convicted Robertson of several charges, including aggravated murder. Seth Enlow and Steven Schott prosecuted the case for the Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
On the evening of July 7, 2022, after a dispute resulted in the theft of firearms and drugs, Robertson allegedly engaged in a firefight alongside three accomplices and multiple victims on Chatterton Road, just east of Noe Bixby Road in Franklin County.
The gun battle resulted in a bullet striking the home of a family. A mother and her 3-year-old child were inside at the time watching television but were not hit. A male victim was killed in the gun battle.
After a weeklong trial, the jury found Robertson guilty of all charges:
• Count 1: Aggravated robbery;
• Count 2: Improper discharge into a habitation;
• Counts 3-5: Felonious assault;
• Count 6: Aggravated murder; and
• Counts 7-8: Murder.
The entire gun battle was captured on video surveillance footage. The investigative work of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office played a role in the arrest and prosecution of this case. The statutory minimum was 26 years to life.
“I commend the efforts of everyone involved, including the detectives, the prosecutors and the witnesses who came forward to help produce multiple guilty verdicts and a substantial sentence in this case,” said Anthony Pierson, deputy chief counsel for the prosecutor’s office. “Violence, particularly gun violence that puts an innocent mother and child in harm’s way, is never acceptable in our community.”
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