By John Futty
A Victorian Village man who said he was acting in self-defense when he fatally shot his partner five months ago has been cleared by a Franklin County grand jury.
John A. Reed, 54, was arrested on April 6 after he called 911 to report that he had just shot his roommate, Jeffrey A. Caldwell, at 69 W. 5th Ave.
“He was killing me, he was trying to kill me,” Reed told the operator.
Although Franklin County Common Pleas Court records show that the case remains active, a grand jury heard the evidence in late July and decided not to indict Reed, Prosecutor Ron O’Brien said.
Defense attorney Terry K. Sherman said he took the unusual step of giving his evidence and witnesses to the prosecutor’s office for use in their grand-jury presentation. Reed testified before the grand jury.
“It’s unusual but not unheard of” for a defendant to testify in a grand-jury hearing, Sherman said.
O’Brien said the targets of grand-jury proceedings testify “on occasion” at the request of a defense attorney or after an invitation from prosecutors. He called the practice “fairly rare.”
Reed had been the victim of ongoing domestic abuse in his relationship with Caldwell, 56, Sherman said.
“It was battered woman’s syndrome, but involving a guy,” he said.
Reed told police that he and Caldwell were in an argument that turned violent on the night of the shooting. He said Caldwell was beating him and he feared for his life.
Reed “grabbed his .22-caliber revolver and as (Caldwell) cornered him in the bathtub, he shot (Caldwell),” according to a report read during Reed’s initial appearance in court on April 9. He was released on bond after the hearing.
Reed retired in 2008 after about 30 years as an employee at the Ohio State University Medical Center.
Caldwell worked at the Kroger store in the University District and formerly operated Caldwell Interiors Ltd.
Sherman called the case “about as good as you can get for self-defense.”
No comments:
Post a Comment