Brothers plead guilty, third man sentenced in fatal May 2022 drug deal gone wrong
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Two brothers have pleaded guilty and a third man was sentenced Tuesday for a fatal May 2022 shooting during an armed robbery.
Brothers Zacharias Mullen, 21, and Willie Mullen, 23, both of Columbus, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and aggravated robbery, both with firearm specifications, and abduction in the shooting death of Raquan Thomas, 21.
Jeremiah Jackson, 25, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to the same charges in June; on Tuesday, he was sentenced to 23 to 27 years in prison.
A fourth Columbus man, Tony Cunningham, 22, pleaded guilty in July to the same three charges; he and the Mullens will be sentenced on Sept. 12, with all three facing a maximum of 31 to 36 1/2 years in prison.
On May 4, 2022, Columbus police responded to East Main Street and McNaughten Road for a reported shooting. At the scene, officers found Thomas suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Police said the four defendants planned and took part in an armed robbery of Thomas when Thomas approached the men with an offer to buy marijuana. According to police, Zacharias Mullen, Cunningham, and Jackson all shot Thomas during the robbery.
Police used surveillance video and evidence from a pawn shop and from where three of the defendants lived to build their case.