‘It’s ridiculous to kill somebody over a fight’: Relatives emotional at murder sentencing

Calling it “a terrible waste” for families of both the victim and the defendant, Judge William Rumer gave the man who admitted killing another at a downtown parking garage in 2013 the maximum sentence for voluntary manslaughter.

“There is a great loss on both sides of this courtroom,” Rumer said before sentencing Marquis Tirese Shaw to 20 years in prison for fatally shooting Arthur “A.J.” Holt Jr. atop a parking deck during a fight on Dec. 22, 2013.

Shaw is 25 years old now. Holt was 26. Born Dec. 1, 1987, he had been out celebrating his birthday the night he died.

Before pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter, Shaw had sought immunity from prosecution, claiming he acted in defense of cousins involved in a brawl with Holt’s friends atop the rear parking deck of Columbus’ Hardaway Building, 945 Broadway.

During his immunity hearings, Shaw testified he and his friends walked to the parking deck after getting kicked out of Mario’s Restaurant & Pub, 1010 Broadway. When they reached the deck, Shaw’s cousin Marchello Tripp exchanged words with Darrell Boggans, a friend of Holt’s, and Tripp and Boggans started fighting.

It was during this 3 a.m. fistfight that another friend of Holt’s, Brandon Fortson, pulled out a .45-caliber pistol. Shaw saw the gun, came up behind Fortson and used his 9mm pistol to hit Fortson over the head, hoping to knock him out.

Fortson staggered, turned and started shooting at Shaw, who ducked behind parked cars and dodged away.

When Fortson started shooting, another cousin of Shaw’s, Deondra Richardson, shouted “I’m hit!” and fell against Tripp, pulling him to the pavement. Richardson was not wounded, but played dead in the hope he and Tripp would not be injured.

Shaw said he heard Richardson say he was hit, and then saw Holt on the ground with a pistol aimed at his cousins. He fired two shots at Holt and fled, he said.

Holt later died from the wounds inflicted by Shaw’s 9mm, but he also had a .40-caliber bullet in his chest. Police don’t know where that shot came from, as the only gun recovered was Fortson’s.

Families testify

In court Tuesday, Holt’s relatives testified that he was a humble, polite, churchgoing young man.

“He was a very meek, humble spirit,” said uncle Charlie Evans. “A.J. would not have gone out to hurt anyone intentionally.”

Said aunt Adrea Lindsey, “There is a part of him that will always live in my heart.”

Janice Holt, the victim’s mother, said she never bought her son even a BB gun or water pistol when he was a child, because she didn’t want him to play with weapons.

They both worked at TSYS, and she would walk by whenever she was in his building, she said: “I would see him diligently working every day.”

She recalled that he had planned to go back to Troy University, because he didn’t want his younger brother to get a degree first: The older brother should set an example, he thought.

His younger sibling lost more than a brother, she said: “A.J. was his best friend.”

The father, Arthur James Holt Sr., said he tried hard to be a good father. “I grew up most of my life without a father,” he said.

He was serving in the Navy when his older son was born, and having served in the armed forces, he found it inconceivable that young people now waste lives over trivial matters.

“It’s unbelievable,” he said. “It’s ridiculous to kill somebody over a fight.”

Shaw’s grandmother Shirley Shaw spoke on his behalf, telling the Holts: “Words cannot express the loss that you had.”

But her grandson was not a bad man: “I would like to say that my grandchild was a very compassionate grandchild,” she said, later adding, “I am not angry. I am full of compassion.”

Shaw’s attorney William Kendrick told Rumer his client had no felony criminal history, and was known as churchgoing, kind and respectful, with good manners. Shaw expressed remorse for what happened, Kendrick added, asking Rumer to give Shaw 10 years or less in prison.

Prosecutor Al Whitaker told the judge the case involved “guns, alcohol and a lack of maturity,” with witnesses having testified the fight that led to the shooting started because “everybody was angry.” Whitaker also noted how many people frequented the downtown area that night, raising the risk bystanders could have been injured.

In giving Shaw the maximum penalty, Rumer also noted the shooting happened in a very public place, with Columbus State University student housing just across 10th Street from the parking deck, presenting a greater risk that people uninvolved in the altercation could have been hurt.

This story was originally published May 9, 2017 at 5:10 PM with the headline "‘It’s ridiculous to kill somebody over a fight’: Relatives emotional at murder sentencing."