Columbus man who argued self-defense in shooting of cousin not convicted on murder charges
A Franklin County jury on Tuesday found a man who said he shot his second cousin in self-defense not guilty of one murder charge and couldn't decide on a second murder count, though 11 of 12 jurors were in favor of acquittal.
Anthony Wilkes, 24, of the Far East Side went on trial starting last week in Franklin County Common Pleas Court for two counts of murder in connection with the fatal 2021 shooting of 30-year-old Anthony Butts' death and one count of tampering with evidence because authorities say he hid his gun after the shooting.
After about 15 hours of deliberation across Thursday, Friday and Tuesday, the jury returned its verdict on Tuesday afternoon. The jury found Wilkes not guilty of the first murder charge, which accused Wilkes of purposefully murdering Butts.
The jury could not decide and was hung on the second murder charge, in which prosecutors essentially accused Wilkes of purposefully committing felony assault, causing Butts’ death. The attorneys polled the jurors, and said 11 jurors were in favor of acquitting Wilkes but one hold-out wanted to find him guilty of this charge.
The jury did find Wilkes guilty of tampering with evidence.
Franklin County Assistant Prosecutor Zachary Imwalle told The Dispatch after the verdict that the prosecutor's office will evaluate whether to retry Wilkes on the second murder charge.
Wilkes’ defense attorney, Joseph Landusky II, said he will ask Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Mark Serrott to dismiss the tampering with evidence conviction.
"My client was clearly protecting himself, and the jury could tell that," Landusky said. "I believe Judge Serrott gave us a very fair trial."
It was the second trial in May, and at least the fifth trial in 2023, where a defendant in Franklin County was acquitted of a murder charge after arguing self-defense.
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The case
On May 15, 2021, Wilkes and 30-year-old Anthony Butts were socializing with family and friends at a South Linden home. Hours into the gathering, Wilkes admits he shot Butts during a scuffle.
Franklin County prosecutors said during the trial that Wilkes had been drinking and was waving his gun around. After multiple warnings, prosecutors say Butts was trying to disarm Wilkes when he was shot.
Landusky said during the trial that Butts threatened Wilkes, who believed Butts was going to take the gun and shoot him. Landusky said Wilkes knew Butts was a dangerous, gang-affiliated man who had previously been charged in multiple shootings.
Still, this shooting was a tragedy, Landusky said, and Wilkes did not want to kill his cousin — that’s why he only shot once.
After Wilkes shot Butts, other people shot at Wilkes, who was critically injured and hospitalized for weeks, according to Landusky.
More court news: Prosecutor says witnesses told police that 13-year-old Sinzae Reed fired first at Krieg Butler
jlaird@dispatch.com
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Jury finds Columbus man not guilty on one murder count, hung on second
