Accident – Death – Obituary News :

Two Adults and One Teenager Arrested and Charged with Murder of Father of Three in Columbus, Ohio

On December 20, two adults and one teenager were arrested and charged with the murder of a 53-year-old father of three in Columbus, Ohio. The incident took place outside a Kroger store at the Great Southern Shopping Center on South High Avenue, where the victim was brutally beaten.

Tragic Events Unfolded Outside Kroger Store

The incident occurred on December 6, at approximately 7 p.m. The victim, identified as Donnie Smith Jr., was attacked by three individuals identified as 18-year-old Dionta Davon Hughes, 19-year-old Jamarion Fredrae Evans-Bennett, and another 17-year-old male. The altercation began inside the Kroger store, leading security personnel to ask the suspects to leave.

After exiting the store, surveillance video captured the horrifying scene as Evans-Bennett, Hughes, and the other male suddenly knocked Smith to the ground and began relentlessly kicking and punching him. The assault left Smith in critical condition, and he was admitted to the hospital. Unfortunately, Smith succumbed to his injuries on December 18.

Eye-Witnesses Describe the Shocking Assault

Two friends of Smith, Seth and Brandon, were with him at the time of the attack. They witnessed the assault and provided harrowing accounts of the incident. Brandon recalled that the teenagers were inside the Kroger store, seemingly looking for someone to target. Throughout the assault, they were laughing callously.

Seth rushed to Smith’s side as he lay injured on the ground. Seth tried to comfort him, assuring him that he was there and that everything would be okay. Regrettably, Smith remained unconscious throughout the ordeal.

Intervention by a Brave Witness

During the assault, a witness who possessed a firearm stepped forward and demanded that the attackers cease their brutal assault on Smith. Faced with the armed intervention, the three suspects fled the scene, escaping in a red car.

Legal Proceedings and Charges

Charging documents revealed that the suspects had been waiting outside the Kroger store for Smith after being asked to leave. They then launched the vicious attack, leaving Smith unconscious and with severe head injuries.

The victim, Donnie Smith Jr., leaves behind three children, including a 15-year-old son and a six-year-old daughter. The loss of their father has undoubtedly left them devastated.

Both Hughes and Evans-Bennett are currently detained in Franklin County jail on a $1 million bond. As for the 17-year-old male suspect, his identity remains undisclosed, and he is being held in the county’s juvenile detention center. The 17-year-old appeared before a judge on Friday, and a follow-up hearing is scheduled for January 16 to determine whether he will be tried as an adult.

It is worth noting that both Hughes and Evans-Bennett have a history as repeat offenders within the juvenile system.

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