Othman Abdo shot two different people in separate incidents on opposite sides of Columbus on Halloween 2021. One of them died.
On Thursday, Abdo, 20, of Blacklake on Columbus’ far east side, was sentenced by Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Cheryl Munson to life in prison with the chance of parole after 39 years for his gun violence.
A jury convicted Abdo last month of two counts of murder, aggravated murder and felonious assault in two separate shooting incidents on October 31, 2021.
Abdo was convicted of shooting 21-year-old Nazir Winton at approximately 6:35 p.m. outside Winton’s apartment in an apartment complex on Rabbit Hill Lane off Chatterton Road on the southeast side of Columbus. Winton was found lying in the street by responding officers.
Paramedics transported Winton to an area hospital, where the father of a 1-year-old girl and 2-month-old boy was pronounced dead.
Hours earlier, Columbus police said Abdo shot another person in the 700 block of Wedgwood Drive on the city’s west side. This person sustained minor injuries and survived. Abdo was eventually arrested on November 19, 2021.
Monson sentenced Abdo to the minimum sentence for the charges of which he was convicted. Abdo could have faced a maximum possible sentence of life imprisonment without parole.
Messages seeking comment were left Thursday night with Abdo’s defense attorney, Dennis Bailey, and one of Franklin County’s assistant prosecutors, Steven Schuette.
Abdo’s co-defendant, David R. Benton Jr., 22, also of Blacklake on Columbus’ far east side, turned himself in to police on December 29, 2021. He pleaded guilty on July 11 to manslaughter with a weapon Fiery. and driving specifications in connection with Winton’s death.
Munson sentenced Benton that day to an indefinite prison term of 15 to 18 1/2 years, which was a joint recommendation of Franklin County prosecutors and Benton’s defense attorney.
jwilhelm@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on the Columbus Dispatch: Franklin County judge sentences Columbus gunman to life in prison
