‘The ultimate price.’ Second Columbus man pleads in fatal shooting from robbery set up
A second suspect has pleaded guilty in a 2019 Columbus shooting that killed a 21-year-old trying to rob another man of a gun that was for sale.
Jaquon Cantrell Daniels initially was charged with murder in the Oct. 18 fatal shooting of Treyvius Crowell, who with Daniels and D’Eric Martin conspired to rob the man in the 1800 block of Amber Drive, where they met around noon for the gun sale, prosecutors said.
Crowell got out of the car the three cohorts were in and pulled a gun on the man, who drew his own weapon and fired, hitting Crowell in the abdomen. Crowell was found dead there at the scene, where Martin tried to hide some of the evidence, investigators said.
Police decided the shooter had acted in self-defense, and filed no charges against him. Instead they charged Crowell’s two friends with felony murder, for causing Crowell’s death while committing an attempted armed robbery.
Because Martin hid Crowell’s gun, after the shooting, he was charged also with tampering with evidence. Daniels faced an additional charge of making false statements to police.
Martin, 24, pleaded guilty Oct. 5 to attempted armed robbery and evidence tampering. His murder charge was dropped. Judge Gil McBride sentenced him to 20 years in prison with five to serve and the rest on probation.
On Wednesday, Daniels, 22, pleaded guilty to attempted armed robbery and making false statements. McBride sentenced him to 10 years in prison with five to serve and the rest on probation.
Prosecutor Robin King said Daniels got a lesser sentence because of his minor role in the scheme, as Martin set up the robbery and got out of the car to hide Crowell’s gun. Daniels never left the vehicle.
“We believe Mr. Daniels played a role in this, but he was not the person who set up the meeting,” King said.
Crowell’s mother Yasma Williams was present for Daniels’ sentencing, but did not speak, instead having a victim’s advocate read a statement on her behalf.
“I just want everyone that was involved in this situation to be held accountable for the roles that they played,” she wrote. “My son paid the ultimate price for the role that he allegedly played. He is not here to speak for himself. If he were still here, he would also have to be held accountable for whatever role he played.”
As part of his sentence, Daniels will have to pay $10,993 in restitution to Williams for the expenses caused by her son’s death. Because Daniels had no prior felony convictions, he was sentenced as a first offender, meaning his record will be cleared if he successfully completes his probation.
Speaking after the sentencing, Daniels’ defense attorney William Kendrick said Crowell, Martin and Daniels long had been close friends, and Daniels wanted Williams to know he regretted his part in Crowell’s death.
“They all grew up together, so he just expressed his remorse for the entire incident,” said Kendrick.
Daniels did not speak to Williams directly, during the sentencing, so Kendrick spoke for him.
The attorney said Daniels could have taken the case to trial, and argued that his mere presence at the shooting was not enough evidence to convict him of murder. Instead he decided to take the plea deal, which with credit for the time he has been in jail could lead to his release in about two years, Kendrick said.
“Ultimately, he made a decision that it was best to resolve the case in this way,” he said. “I do think it was a just decision, a good resolution for all parties, and hopefully a step toward healing for everyone.”
This story was originally published November 30, 2022 at 2:44 PM.