Former Franklin County Sheriff's Deputy Jason Meade was found guilty of reckless homicide by a jury on Thursday. The judge declared a mistrial on a murder charge.
Meade was accused of killing 23-year-old Casey Goodson Jr. in 2020. This was the second trial for Meade after the first, two years ago, ended in a mistrial when the jury couldn鈥檛 agree on a verdict.
Judge David Young read the verdict after the jury deliberated for two days. Meade's bond was revoked.
Meade and Goodson鈥檚 family were present in the courtroom. After Young read the verdict, many of Goodson's family hugged, cried and breathed sighs of relief.
Tamala Payne, Goodson's mother, told reporters while surrounded by family and supporters that the verdict brings closure, but she wants Meade convicted on the murder charge too.
"It gives us peace. And now, I'm sure I speak for my family when I say this, I know now Casey can rest," Payne said.
Special prosecutors Tim Merkle and Gary Schroyer said they won't make a decision yet on whether to retry the case. The two said they will consult with Franklin County Prosecutor Shayla Favor on the path forward.
"Needless to say, we're pleased with the partial verdict. We appreciate the hard work that the jury did. They have spoken and we're pleased with that," Merkle said.
Schroyer said after six years trying this case through two trials he and his co counsel Tim Merkle are grateful to both juries and Goodson's family.
"I think they believed in Tim and I in this case, that we did work hard, and that we were looking for justice in this matter," Schroyer said.
Meade's defense team, which included lawyers Mark Collins and Kaitlyn Stephens, were not immediately available for comment.
Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge #9 President Brian Steel said he was disappointed in the verdict, but it didn't shock him. Steel said Young revoking Meade's bond did surprise him and pointed to other cases where judges let convicted felons out on bonds.
Steel said Favor has a decision to make.
"I hope there for the sake of not only the Meade family, the Goodson family and the community, I hope we don't try to do a third trial on this murder charge. The prosecutor inherited this case and we understand that. But now any decision to try the murder (charge) a third time will be on the hands of Prosecutor Favor," Steel said.
Favor's office sent a statement Thursday evening, but didn't say answer whether she'd refile the charges. Instead, she thanked the jurors, special prosecutors, investigators and others.
"Most importantly, I want to honor the family of Mr. Goodson and all those standing in love and memory with them today. Your strength in the face of unimaginable grief is a testament to your love for Casey and your resilience in the pursuit of justice. I am deeply sorry for your loss," Favor said.
Favor said the verdict can't erase the pain of Goodson's absence, but it affirms her belief that accountability is essential to rebuilding trust in the system.
"The truth is there are no winners today. Two lives have been forever changed, and two families have carried the weight of that reality for the past five years," Favor said.
During the trial, the prosecution called 19 witnesses, while the defense only called four. Unlike last time, Meade didn't take the stand in his own defense.
Jurors didn鈥檛 have to determine whether or not Meade killed Goodson, but whether he was justified in doing so.
Meade was with a U.S. Marshals task force on an unsuccessful fugitive search when he claimed he saw Goodson waving a gun inside a car. That prompted Meade to follow Goodson home. Goodson was shot in the back six times while entering his home in the Northland area the day he was killed.
Goodson was wearing wireless earbuds while carrying a sandwich bag. Authorities found a gun on him, which had the safety on. Goodson also had a concealed carry permit.
Meade was not wearing a body worn camera at the time and he was the only direct witness to the shooting.
Meade will be sentenced July 16. He faces up to 3 years in prison.
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said in a statement to WOSU his thoughts are with Goodson's family and the community because of the pain and weight of this trial.
鈥淲hile people will continue to hold deeply felt views about today鈥檚 verdict, we must respect the role of the judicial system and the work of the jury, which was asked to carefully consider the facts and evidence presented in this case. Moments like this remind us that healing and trust require continued dialogue, compassion, and a shared commitment to moving our community forward together," Ginther said.
Sheriff Dallas Baldwin declined to comment in a statement to WOSU, citing the fact that there was a mistrial on the murder charge and the legal proceedings are ongoing.