Two men found guilty of murder in 16-year-old’s death in Columbus sentenced
Two men found guilty of murder in the death of a 16-year-old in Columbus were sentenced to life in prison Wednesday afternoon.
Akiraon Reed, 18, and Andrew Crowell, 22, were co-defendants in the shooting death of 16-year-old Dayton Willis in August 2023.
Reed was found guilty in March of felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Reed was found not guilty of malice murder.
Crowell was found guilty in March of all charges: malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Judge Bobby Peters sentenced Reed to life with the possibility of parole on the charge of felony murder with five years to be served consecutively for the charge of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Peters sentenced Crowell to life without the possibility of parole on the charge of malice murder with five years to be served consecutively for the charge of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Assistant District Attorney Meghan Bowden said both defendants are associated with the Zohannon Street Gang.
During sentencing, Peters said, “It’s frustrating. It really is. All these lives messed up for nothing. And we’ll never know. There’ll be no closure because y’all don’t want anybody to know why you really did it.”
Victim’s family speaks
Before sentencing, several of Willis’ family members and loved ones shared stories about Willis and how his death has affected them.
Ashley Willis, Dayton’s mother, told a story about her son spending two Saturdays selling lemonade and donating the money he raised to a nonprofit for people struggling with mental illness after a family friend died by suicide.
Ashley Willis said the last thing she and Dayton did together was going to church, as she had to leave to return to Augusta for a few days.
Ashley Willis told the court, “Forgiveness is a choice, and I’m going to choose to forgive. I’m not there yet.”
Bo Willis, Dayton’s father, said Dayton was his only son. Bo Willis mentioned all the firsts and milestones he won’t get to see or experience with Dayton because he never came home Aug. 30, 2023.
“My only wish is that his murderers never get a chance to go home either,” Bo Willis said.
Bo Willis said he has no idea who he is going to pass his keepsakes to.
“I love you, Dayton,” he said. “Your dad loves you. The only thing that wins in this one is love. Love wins.”
James Campbell, Ashley Willis’ life partner, shared two stories about Dayton’s big heart.
Campbell said Dayton spent Thanksgiving serving dinner to people who were poor, lonely and homeless. In another instance, Campbell said Dayton had saved money to buy something that cost $100. When in Los Angeles, a homeless man approached the family begging for money.
Campbell said he ignored the man, but Dayton gave him $100. Campbell said Dayton’s reasoning for giving the man $100 was, “He needed it more than I did.”
Defense’s statements before sentencing
Before sentencing, attorney Shevon Thomas II spoke on behalf of Reed. Thomas said he spoke with his client and said, “With the possibility that he may be able to appeal the jury’s decision, I don’t think that he necessarily wants to make any statements right now that can lock him into anything that can be used against him in any subsequent hearings.”
Thomas cited his client’s age at the time of the crime while asking Peters for life with the possibility of parole. Reed was 15 at the time of Dayton Willis’ murder.
“He was very young when this happened,” Thomas said, “At the very latest he would be close to 50 years old by the time that he would be allowed to be released, if a parole board sees fit, and he would have a long time to be able to show that he deserves to be back in the free world.”
Grady Reed, father of Akiraon Reed, asked the court to have compassion for his son.
“This happened when he was like 15, and to just throw the key away on him and to give him life without parole, that’s just like not giving him a second chance at life at all,” Grady Reed said.
Shuntwanta Reed, Akiraon Reed’s mother, said she would never say Akiraon is perfect. However, she said she believes in Akiraon’s innocence.
“Today, all families lose, not just the deceased’s, because I’m losing my child to prison,” Shuntwanta Reed said.
Defense attorney William Kendrick, representing Crowell, said his client accepts responsibility and expresses remorse to the victim’s family and all the families involved.
Kendrick urged the court to consider a similar analysis of Reed to Crowell’s age at the time of the crime. Crowell was 19 years old then and didn’t have any priors, according to Kendrick.
Kendrick argued for life with the possibility of parole for Crowell. Kendrick said life with the possibility of parole is 30 years to serve and then just the possibility of parole.
“That doesn’t mean that the parole system is going to let him out,” Kendrick said.
Prosecution’s argument at trial
In her opening arguments, Bowden told jurors, “This case is very simple. Here’s what it’s about: On Aug. 31st of 2023, Andrew Crowell, sitting right there, and Akiraon Reed, shot and killed Dayton Willis on Double Churches Road.”
Bowden said evidence would show Willis attended Northside High School, where he met Reed, and they were friends. She said Willis didn’t know Crowell but Reed knew him.
Reed was living at The Palms apartment complex at the time, and Crowell had a girlfriend who lived there, Bowden told the jury.
Bowden said jurors would see a message sent by Reed to Willis’ Instagram account around 11:18 p.m. that said, “Here I come.” She also told jurors they would see surveillance video from The Palms of two people leaving the apartment complex and getting into Willis’ car.
Cellphone records would show Reed’s phone was with Willis’ until shortly after the shooting, Bowden said. Cellphone records also would show Crowell’s phone was in the area at the time of the shooting and moving along with Reed and Willis’ phones, she said.
Bowden said the jury would hear the shots in a surveillance video from a church in the area. The car proceeded to roll at a low speed until it stopped after hitting a tree about a half-mile up the road, according to Bowden.
Shell casings found at a bridge and in the vehicle were linked to two 9 mm guns after a GBI analysis, according to Bowden.
Bowden said Willis had a revolver, but it was never used. The detective on the case would receive a ballistic lead from the shells at the scene, matching them to a separate crime investigation in which Crowell is linked to, according to Bowden’s opening statements
.“They executed him (Willis) for no reason,” Bowden told the jury. “That is what the evidence is gonna show, and I’m gonna ask you to find the verdict of guilty on every single count.”
Defense’s arguments at trial
Thomas’ opening statements focused on one question: “What happened in that car?”
“This was not a robbery between strangers,” Thomas told jurors, telling them his client and Willis were friends.
“This is not a calculated plan by hardened criminals,” Thomas said. “This was three teenagers making reckless and immature decisions late at night.”
Thomas said he believed the evidence would show Willis, Reed and Crowell were going around and breaking into cars and planning to steal cars. Thomas told jurors surveillance video wouldn’t show the shooting.
“You will not see what happened inside that vehicle in the moments before the gunfire,” Thomas said.
Thomas said those missing moments are where the state’s theory would fall apart.
In Kendrick’s opening statements, he said the issue in this case was whether the state could prove beyond a reasonable doubt each and every element of the crimes they have waged against the defendants.
There were no text messages between Crowell and Willis, Kendrick said. Kendrick also said there is no gun in this case.
Kendrick said he expected the jury would hear the vehicle in this case was fingerprinted, and no fingerprints came back to Crowell.
This story was originally published April 1, 2026 at 5:40 PM.