On Sept. 14, 2026, Javoni Felix, 21, pleaded guilty to reckless homicide and endangering children in connection with the Oct. 2, 2024, death of Carlie Frizzell, 16.
On Oct. 14, 2026, Franklin County Common Pleas Judge David Young sentenced Felix to 10-11½ years in prison.
This story first published on Oct. 9, 2024.
A loving mother: Family of Columbus teen says she died in a gun-cleaning accident
The family of a teen girl killed in an early-October shooting says she died after her boyfriend's gun fired while he was cleaning it and that the boyfriend and her family are devastated by her loss.
In an interview with the Dispatch, the stepfather of Carlie Frizzell, a 16-year-old mother to a 2-year-old girl, said her death was accidental. Although the boyfriend thought he had unloaded the gun, a bullet was in the chamber, and the gun fired
when he reassembled it, stepfather Sam Messina said.
“It was an accidental shooting during a gun cleaning,” Sam Messina said. “That’s all … Her boyfriend is a very loving, kind young man. We’ve known this boy for three years, and he’s been nothing but good to her.”
The shooting happened on the 500 block of South Eureka Avenue at about 10:34 p.m. Oct. 2. Paramedics rushed Frizzell to OhioHealth Grant Hospital, but she was pronounced dead there at 11:10 p.m.
In an audio recording obtained by the Columbus Dispatch, a woman who identified herself to officials at the Columbus police radio room as Frizzell's mother, Amber Messina, and provided her cellphone number told police Frizzell’s boyfriend had “a history of domestic violence with her."
Amber Messina, reached via text message at the same phone number, said there was no domestic violence.
"I did speak with a detective briefly and was upset and hurt when I spoke to him," Amber Messina said in a text message. "My daughter's boyfriend is an absolute mess over this tragedy … They don't have a history of domestic violence. He has never even raised his voice at her."
Sam Messina attributed Amber Messina’s statements to shock. He said he also wasn’t aware of any confirmation that Frizzell was pregnant — Amber Messina had said in the call to police that she was. Sam Messina said the two "have no knowledge" about a pregnancy.
A spokesman with the Franklin County Coroner's Office said he could not confirm whether Frizzell was pregnant until the agency completes an autopsy.
A Columbus police spokeswoman said the department could not discuss details of the case. Police have made no arrests as of Wednesday and said they could not give updates on potential charges.
The day after the shooting, Columbus police said they would discuss with the Franklin County Prosecutor's Office whether to file charges in the case. They didn’t say what charges there could be, but an incident report for the shooting lists the possible offense as “negligent homicide.”
Negligent homicide is a first-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000 in Ohio.
Who was Carlie Frizzell?
Sam Messina said his stepdaughter was a bright, happy girl who loved singing and dancing. She attended high school online and had a baby daughter with her boyfriend. The baby will turn 2 years old in a few months.
“She was high-spirited, very loving,” Sam Messina said. “She’s just an all-American, apple pie girl. She didn’t drink, she didn’t smoke. She was a very devoted mother.”
Family and friends started an online fundraiser for a memorial fund for Frizzell. A funeral service will be held at Egan-Ryan Funeral Home at 403 E. Broad St. on Oct. 15 at 10 a.m.
Sam Messina is working to create a fund to accept donations for Frizzell's daughter, but details have not been finalized.
bagallion@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus teen killed as boyfriend cleaned gun. He got up to 11½ years
