Homicide victim tried to resolve issue with suspect before shooting, Columbus police say
The man charged in the deadly Oct. 24 shooting on 41st Street threatened to kill the victim’s friend before the incident, according to testimony Tuesday in Columbus Recorder’s Court.
Thomas “TJ” Meade, 25, pleaded not guilty to murder in the shooting of 19-year-old Dieondre Murphy. He was booked into the Muscogee County Jail without bond.
Judge Julius Hunter bound the case over to Superior Court.
Meade joins 16-year-old murder suspect Andrew Scarborough, who was charged as an adult in the same shooting.
Columbus police were called to the intersection of 41st Street and Young Avenue around 1:55 a.m. Oct. 24 to investigate a shooting. They found Murphy suffering from a gunshot wound.
He was transported to Columbus Midtown Medical Center, where Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan pronounced him dead at 4:04 a.m.
Columbus Police Cpl. Kelly Phillips said the victim and his two friends went to a 41st Street residence to sell a silver revolver for $60. Meade and Scarborough were allegedly among six men involved in the gun sale.
One of the victim’s friends told police Meade had an issue with him and that’s why he accompanied Murphy to the home.
“He stated TJ had said he was going to kill him because of a previous fight he had with Andrew Joshua Scarborough, who he knew to be TJ’s nephew,” Kelly testified. “He stated that he and his friends had traveled to the residence on the 23 of October to resolve that issue and returned on the 24th to sell the firearm.”
One witness said he was in the room when Scarborough allegedly shot Murphy in the back without provocation. Multiple people allegedly saw Scarborough run toward the back of that residence with a gun in his hand.
“During the transaction, the defendant shot the victim in the rear bedroom of the residence,” Hart testified. “Another witness also saw the defendant shooting at the victim up Young Avenue multiple times as the victim had exited the house after being shot the first time.”
Authorities said a witness reported hearing Scarborough say he “shot that motherf-----.” The suspect was also heard saying that Murphy had a gun at the time, according to police.
One witness reported seeing Scarborough, Meade and another person standing over the victim in the street outside of the residence. Another witness said he heard Meade say, “Go get the stuff off of him.”
Kelly said Scarbourough and another man then took a gun from the victim.
Sarah Robinson: 706-571-8622, @sarahR_92
This story was originally published December 6, 2017 at 12:32 PM with the headline "Homicide victim tried to resolve issue with suspect before shooting, Columbus police say."