Hilliard man pleads guilty to shooting another man in Prairie Township
A Hilliard man is facing 15 years behind bars after he admitted to fatally shooting another man with whom he had an ongoing dispute.
Mario B. Sanchez, 27, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to murder in connection with the shooting death of 30-year-old Roger Bernal in May in Prairie Township. In exchange, the Franklin County Prosecutor's Office dropped other charges, including an aggravated murder charge and having a weapon under disability.
Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Sheryl Munson found Sanchez guilty and sentenced him to 18 years to life in prison.
County Chief Deputy Sheriff Rick Minerd said in May that Sanchez and Bernal, of Columbus' Far West Side, knew each other and had an ongoing dispute. Bernal may have owed Sanchez money, Minerd said.
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Around 11 a.m. on May 1, Bernal was riding a bicycle in the area of the 4900 block of Medfield Way in Prairie Township. Sanchez drove by in a 2008 GMC Acadia and called Bernal over to the SUV. When Bernal approached, Sanchez shot him multiple times, according to court records.
Sanchez admitted to shooting Bernal and disposing evidence in the case, investigators state in court records.
Bernal fled on foot to the area of the 4900 block of Eastham Way, where he collapsed. He was transported by medics to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, where he later died.
Minerd said surveillance video from the area helped detectives identify the vehicle involved and witnesses identified Sanchez as being the driver.
jlaird@dispatch.com
@LairdWrites
Editor's Note: This story previously reported an incorrect length of prison time Sanchez has been sentenced to.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Hilliard man sentenced for murdering man in May in Prairie Township
