Slaying of longtime partner called self-defense
Suspect had been cornered by victim during argument, attorney says
By Josh Jarman and John Futty
As friends and co-workers mourned the death of a Victorian Village man who police say was fatally shot by his longtime partner, an attorney for the accused said his client acted in self-defense.
Police were called to 69 W. 5th Ave. shortly before 10:30 p.m. on Friday. They found John Reed standing outside the house and Jeffrey E. Caldwell, 56, dead inside.
Reed, 54, was charged with murder. During a hearing yesterday, Franklin County Municipal Judge H. William Pollitt Jr. set bail at $250,000.
On John Reed’s call to 911 on Friday, he says his roommate was trying to kill him. His bail was set at $250,000.
Reed “informed officers that he had been in an argument with his roommate/life partner and the argument turned violent,” according to a police report read during the hearing.
“He stated (Caldwell) had been beating him, and he was fearing for his life. He grabbed his .22-caliber revolver and as (Caldwell) cornered him in the bathtub, he shot (Caldwell).”
In a 911 call reporting the shooting, Reed told a dispatcher that he had just shot his roommate because “He was killing me, he was trying to kill me.”
He later told the dispatcher that Caldwell had chased him into the bathroom and thrown him against a wall before the shooting.
Defense attorney Terry K. Sherman told Pollitt that his client “has a better case of self-defense than George Zimmerman,” referring to the Florida block-watch volunteer who has not been arrested in the fatal shooting of an unarmed teenager in his neighborhood in February.
Sherman said Reed was being attacked by Caldwell and didn’t shoot until he was cornered. He said police found the gun in the bathroom.
Reed retired in 2008 after about 30 years as an employee at Ohio State University Medical Center, a spokeswoman said.
Caldwell’s co-workers at the Kroger store at 1350 N. High St., where he worked in the wine department, said they were shocked by his death and will miss their energetic friend.
“He was so full of life,” said Dee Ganoom, who had known Caldwell for about a year. “He knew everyone’s name and what they drank.”
She said Caldwell organized the weekly wine tastings and live-music events at the store.
Another co-worker, Ryan Bolden, said Caldwell was a father figure and helped him when he was having relationship troubles. He said the two often stayed up early into the morning, drinking wine and talking.
“He was full of charisma, full of energy,” Bolden said. “He could out-party anyone.”
Caldwell once owned an interior-design business but quit because he grew tired of customers’ demands, Bolden said. Although Caldwell was separated from Reed, they still lived together in the W. 5th Avenue house, Bolden said.
A funeral is planned for Wednesday in Marysville in Union County, where Caldwell’s parents live.
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