Columbus teen going to youth prison for six years for fatally stabbing another teen
A 15-year-old Columbus boy is going to a youth prison until he is 21 after admitting to fatally stabbing another teen last year on Ogden Avenue in the Hilltop neighborhood.
TiJuan Almanzar, 15, pleaded guilty Thursday in Franklin County Common Pleas Court Juvenile Division to involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of 14-year-old Martaires La'Trail Taylor.
Almanzar was also 14 on June 14, 2022 at the time of the stabbing. Taylor died from his injuries shortly after midnight on June 15, 2022.
Columbus police previously said it appeared that the stabbing was the result of an "ongoing dispute.”
More juvenile justice news: Then-15-year-old who fatally shot another 15-year-old gets probation. How many youths kill?
Almanzar was originally charged with voluntary manslaughter.
Franklin County Common Pleas Judge James Brown sentenced Almanzar to six years in an Ohio Department of Youth Services facility at the joint recommendation of Almanzar’s defense attorney and Franklin County prosecutors.
Taylor was described as "loving and caring" as well as "a jokester and prankster," according to his obituary. A stylisth teen who liked to have the best Air Jordans, he enjoyed playing football (his family called him "a beast out on the field"), basketball, wrestling and boxing.
Taylor was praised for how he protected his mother and little sisters, even as a 14-year-old.
At the time of his death, he was survived by his mother, Lillie Robinson; father, Michael Taylor; three brothers, Jaylan Robinson and Davon and Lavon Taylor; five sisters, Lillyanna, Lee'Aira, Mar'Leah and Jamaica Robinson and Adris Taylor; and other family members.
More juvenile justice news: A Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center staffer severely injured a teen, family says
jlaird@dispatch.com
@LairdWrites
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus teen pleads guilty to fatally stabbing another teen
