He claimed self-defense, but took a plea to avoid a murder trial. Now he faces 18 years

Jordan Laird, The Columbus Dispatch
·2 min read
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Krystopher N. Payne is facing at least 18 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter in connection with the April 11, 2018 shooting at Payne's home that left 19-year-old Te'Marr Wallace dead and injured Yashuwa Watson, then 19 years old. Crime scene tape blocks off the 1700 block of South 8th Street in Hungarian Village on the city's South Side in this Dispatch file photo from the scene of the shooting.

To avoid a murder trial scheduled this week, a Columbus man who claimed he shot in self-defense pleaded guilty Monday to involuntary manslaughter for fatally shooting one man and wounding another in 2018 at his home on the South Side.

Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Julie Lynch immediately sentenced 24-year-old Krystopher N. Payne to an indefinite prison term of 18 years to 23½ years at the joint recommendation of the county prosecutor's office and Payne's defense attorney.

In exchange for the guilty plea, Franklin County prosecutors dropped other charges, including murder, attempted murder and felonious assault.

When police responded to a shooting on the evening of April 11, 2018 to Payne's house on the 1700 block of South 8th Street in Hungarian Village on the South Side, they found 19-year-old Te'Marr Wallace dead of a gunshot wound inside the house. Yashuwa Watson, then 19 years old, was suffering from a gunshot wound and lying on the sidewalk outside, police said.

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Watson, who was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition, survived. There was also a third alleged victim who may have been grazed by a bullet, said Payne's defense attorney, Mark Collins.

All four individuals knew each other, Collins said, and Payne was defending himself when he fired.

"He was physically assaulted and he believed they were going to kill him," Collins said. "Survival mode kicks in."

Although Payne claims his assailant had a weapon, Collins said there was no other gun found at the scene.

Collins said the case would have centered on whether Payne used reasonable force in defending himself.

Franklin County Assistant Prosecutor Dan Cable told The Dispatch that investigators "uncovered no evidence of self-defense." He declined to comment further.

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jlaird@dispatch.com

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus man sentenced in 2018 shooting that killed one, wounded one