On June 25, 2026, Arthur Cahoon, 42, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in connection with the May 30, 2025, death of William Woods, 37.
On Aug. 19, 2026, Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Andria Noble sentenced Cahoon to five to 7½ years in prison.
This story first appeared on May 30, 2025.
Franklinton man facing murder charge in blunt force trauma death
May 30, 2025: A Franklinton man has been charged with murder after a man he assaulted died from his injuries three days later.
Arthur Cahoon, 41, is accused of causing the death of 37-year-old William J. Woods after assaulting him on May 27 at Woods' home on the city's West Side.
According to a criminal complaint filed by Columbus police homicide detectives, at around 1 a.m. May 27, Cahoon went to the 2700 block of Ottis Court and encountered Woods,
challenging him to a fight. Detectives said that Cahoon struck Woods "with a closed fist" on his face or head, causing him to fall to his knees. Cahoon punched Woods again, causing him to fall to the ground.
Cahoon then fled the area, according to detectives. Throughout the assault, Woods did not defend himself, the complaint states.
Columbus police arrived on the scene at around 1:34 a.m. and found Woods unresponsive. Columbus Division of Fire medics transported Woods in critical condition to Ohio Health Grant Medical Center, where he died from his injuries on May 30.
Detectives stated in the complaint that an autopsy showed Woods suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage due to the blunt force trauma of the strikes, causing his death. The Franklin County Coroner's Office, which conducted the autopsy, ruled his death as a homicide.
Cahoon was arrested on June 17 by a Columbus police SWAT team, police said in a media release.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Franklinton man sentenced in fatal 2025 West Side beating
