On July 28, 2026, Joseph Johnson, 19, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in connection with the May 12, 2025, shooting death of Richard Murphy, 19.
Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Chris Brown sentenced Johnson to 15-19½ years in prison.
This story first published on May 12, 2025.
Three people charged in fatal Franklinton shooting
May 12, 2025: Columbus police have charged a third male with murder in connection with the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old man in Franklinton.
Joseph Johnson, 18, and a 14- and 17-year-old male are accused of shooting and killing Richard Murphy on May 12 in the first block of South Princeton Avenue. Columbus police initially said they were searching for a third male suspect but said on May 30 that Johnson and the 14-year-old
are the only two suspects in the shooting. On Thursday, June 19, they issued a media release announcing the arrest of the 17-year-old.
All suspects wanted for the shooting are now in custody, police said.
According to a criminal complaint filed by city homicide detectives, Johnson and the two other males confronted Murphy just before 5:30 p.m. on South Princeton Avenue while they were armed with handguns. After a "brief commotion," homicide detectives said Murphy was shot multiple times.
Columbus Division of Fire medics transported Murphy in critical condition to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, Downtown, where he died just after 6 p.m., police said.
Johnson and the 14-year-old boy, whom The Dispatch is not identifying at this point in the criminal proceedings, were arrested by a Columbus police SWAT team on May 27, according to a police news release. The 17-year-old boy, whom The Dispatch is also not naming at this point in the criminal proceedings, was arrested by Columbus police on June 19.
City homicide detectives said they believe an argument was a motive for the shooting.
Johnson was ordered held in lieu of a $1 million bond. The 14 and 17-year-old are in custody at the Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Man sentenced for fatal 2025 Franklinton shooting
