Franklin County jury finds woman not guilty of murder for running over another woman
A Franklin County jury has decided it was not murder when a Columbus woman drove her vehicle into another woman holding a gun, fatally crushing her against the wall of a fast-food restaurants building.
Bria K. Henslee, 23, of the Hilltop neighborhood, was on trial in Franklin County Common Pleas Court for two counts of murder in connection with the death of 25-year-old Makaela Ellis on April 9, 2021.
Henslee's defense team argued during the trial that Henslee was defending herself after Ellis pointed a gun at her following a fender-bender crash.
After deliberating all of Tuesday and most of Wednesday, the jury returned its verdict around 4 p.m. Wednesday. The jury found Henslee not guilty of both counts of murder.
As Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey Brown read the verdicts in court, members of Ellis' family in the courtroom began crying.
The jury did find Henslee guilty of assault for kicking a Columbus police officer in the stomach when she was arrested later.
Judge Brown scheduled Henslee's sentencing hearing for July 13. Franklin County prosecutors asked Brown to revoke Henslee's bond. Brown declined and allowed Henslee, who has children, to stay out while she awaits sentencing.
The confrontation that turned fatal happened outside a combination Kentucky Fried Chicken and Long John Silver’s on Columbus' Southwest Side.
The incident was captured on a surveillance camera across the street. The video, which is grainy and low-definition, was shown during the trial.
One of Henslee’s defense attorneys, Sam Shamansky, said the video shows Ellis pointed the gun at Henslee. Prosecutors disagreed during the trial that's what the fuzzy video shows.
Two different witnesses also told police they saw Ellis point her gun at Henslee, Shamansky said.
Shamansky told The Dispatch after the verdict that the jury saw through the conflicting theories put forward by the prosecution.
"This case should have never been prosecuted," Shamansky said. "The only crime that was committed was Bria had to have her life put on hold for the last two years facing these unfounded and unsupportable charges."
Shamansky also said Henslee barely tapped the officer she's convicted of assaulting, and they will be appealing that conviction.
Franklin County prosecutors declined to comment to The Dispatch after the verdict.
Past reporting: A Columbus woman drove over another woman holding a gun. Is it self-defense or murder?
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The case
Columbus police responded at 6:52 p.m. on April 9, 2021 to a report of a shooting at the KFC and Long John Silver’s at 1414 Harrisburg Pike. The shooting came after Ellis was hit, said Franklin County Assistant Prosecutor Jeff Zezech.
The confrontation involved Henslee, Ellis, at least three other people, two guns and multiple vehicles.
The KFC and Long John Silver’s are next to a strip mall, which is next to a Burger King. Zezech said during the trial that Henslee was driving in the parking lot of the strip mall when she hit a parked vehicle and then nearly clipped a van that Ellis, Alex Mulligan and Kaitlin Ross were getting into by the Burger King.
The first vehicle Henslee hit belonged to an employee of a barber shop at the strip mall, and Ellis knew them, Zezech said.
Cierra Carter, who was driving her Jeep, followed Henslee through the strip mall parking lot to the KFC/ Long John’s parking lot, Zezech said.
Carter used the Jeep to block Henslee’s exit, as can be seen on the video. The video shows Henslee got out of her car and kicked Carter’s car door. Henslee then got back in her car and the van with Ellis and the others pulled up.
Henslee backed her car up a couple of times and then drove forward on the video. Zezech said she gunned it as if to hit the Jeep blocking her or the people in her way. When Ellis and Mulligan got out of the van, they had guns in their hands, Zezech said during the trial.
“(Ellis was) holding it by the barrel like a hammer,” Zezech said.
Shamansky said two witnesses interviewed by police said Ellis pointed the gun at Henslee.
“Bria backs her car up a third time, farther this time, then accelerates, aims the car at (Ellis), jumps over that curb into the drive-thru and crushes (Ellis) against the wall of that KFC,” Zezech said.
After Henslee hit Ellis, Mulligan fired six shots from his revolver, according to Zezech, which prompted the 911 shooting report to police.
Ellis was transported by medics to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead at 7:25 p.m.
Zezech said Henslee fled the scene. When police found her later at home, Henslee kicked a female police officer in the stomach, he said.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus woman found not guilty of murder in self-defense trial
