Columbus man convicted of murder faced life without parole. Here’s his sentence
The Columbus man convicted of gunning down a father of eight on a neighborhood street in 2021 could have been sentenced to life in prison without parole, which is how much time prosecutor asked for.
But Judge John Martin did not go quite that far Thursday when he decided how much time Deante Caruters would serve for the Jan. 20 murder of Joseph Dukes.
Instead he sentenced Caruthers to life with the possibility of parole, plus five more years to serve and 10 years on probation.
A defendant given life with parole typically serves 30 years before he’s eligible for release. Caruthers is 32 years old.
Assistant District Attorney Austin Hammock had sought life without parole for Caruthers, who had a 2019 conviction for theft by receiving a stolen gun. For that offense, he was sentenced as a first offender to five years probation. Had he completed that probation without a second offense, his record would have been cleared.
Caruthers’ defense attorney, William Kendrick, said that previous offense was the cause of the dispute that led to Caruthers and Dukes stopping their cars in the street and facing off on Bayberry Drive.
Recorded on nearby home security cameras, they stood face to face, before Caruthers three times shot Dukes, who died after wrecking his car driving away.
Both Caruthers and Dukes were charged with having a stolen gun in December 2018, but only Caruthers pleaded guilty. Prosecutors dropped all of Dukes’ charges, including one count of being a felon with a firearm, because of a 2004 conviction for entering an auto.
Kendrick said Caruthers took the blame for the 2018 gun charge to free Dukes, and had complained about it, sparking the 2021 confrontation.
Besides murder, a jury Monday found Caruthers guilty of aggravated assault, using a gun to commit a felony and being a first offender with a firearm.
Dukes’ mother, Delilah Dukes, said after the verdict that she felt her family got the justice it deserved.
Her son died at age 38. His youngest child never knew him, having been born weeks after his death.
“The 3-year-old never met him,” Delilah Dukes said. “He was born 18 days after my son was killed.”
She said her son was devoted to his family, and faithfully saw to her needs after her husband died.
“I could always depend on him. If I needed anything, he was always there,” she said. “My husband passed away in 2011, and my son was my rock. And when he got killed, it took so much, not just from me, but from his kids.”
