Ex-Columbus officer faces murder sentencing
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios
Former Columbus police officer Adam Coy — the city's first officer convicted of murder while on duty — is scheduled to be sentenced Monday.
Why it matters: Coy is also the first officer convicted of murder while on duty in all of Ohio, according to a Bowling Green State University police violence database tracking crimes since 2005.
- The case marks an historic step in holding law enforcement accountable for deadly use of force.
Catch up quick: A jury found Coy guilty on Nov. 4 in the 2020 death of 47-year-old Andre Hill, an unarmed Black man.
- Hill was holding a cell phone and keys inside a garage, which Coy told jurors he mistook for a gun.
- A Franklin County judge delayed Coy's sentencing after his attorneys unsuccessfully asked for a new trial.
- Coy, 48, faces a life sentence without the possibility of parole for at least 15 years.
The big picture: A total of 209 officers nationwide have been arrested for on-duty murder or manslaughter since 2005, per BGSU's database.
- When officers are convicted, it's typically for a lesser crime, says professor Philip Stinson, who maintains the data. Of 72 convictions, just 10 were murder.
- Often, prosecutors struggle to get convictions because jurors hesitate to second-guess officers' split-second decisions, Stinson tells Axios. Despite more attention on police violence in recent years, he says there hasn't been a "statistically significant" difference in convictions.
Between the lines: A key factor in Coy's case is not giving Hill first aid, which body cameras recorded, says Timothy Dimoff, a law enforcement procedures expert from Northeast Ohio.
- Coy's conviction will undoubtedly show law enforcement to "err in the area of caution instead of blowing it off" regarding medical assistance, Dimhoff says.
Flashback: Columbus City Council passed "Andre's Law" in 2020, requiring officers to render immediate first aid if they injure someone. Hill's family also got a $10 million settlement.
What's next: Today's sentencing could serve as a police violence deterrent, and it could raise prosecutors' confidence in bringing charges forward in the future, California civil rights attorney Adanté Pointer tells Axios.
The bottom line: "This also sends a message to the officers doing it, right? The police department and the judicial system will not tolerate those officers who abuse the badge," Pointer says.
Other Central Ohio police violence cases
Two murder trials for other local law enforcement officers are scheduled for later this year:
Nov. 3: Blendon Township deputy Connor Grubb, who faces charges in the fatal shooting of Ta'Kiya Young in 2023.
- Grubb is on unpaid leave. His defense team may seek a bench trial due to concerns about jury bias, WOSU reports.
Dec. 8: Former Franklin County deputy Jason Meade, who is charged in the 2020 killing of Casey Goodson Jr.
- Meade's initial trial in 2024 ended in a mistrial.
What we're watching: Former Columbus officer Ricky Anderson was charged with murder in the 2023 death of Donovan Lewis, but there is no trial date yet.