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Ohio police reportedly shot teenager to death then charged his girlfriend with murder
After the fatal shooting of a teenager in Miami by police officers, they soon after tagged the death on his girlfriend and charged her for the murder.
Last Thursday, Columbus Police arrested a teenager in connection to the death of 16-year-old Julius Ervin Tate Jr.
The teen was shot and killed by an officer during a robbery crime that took place on December 7.
It was his girlfriend, Masonique Saunders, 16, who was charged with aggravated robbery and murder on December 13, despite not actually killing Tate.
Witnesses alleged the Ohio cops planted a gun on the scene after Julius Tate was killed.https://t.co/7pJxtBjzBu
— BET (@BET) December 17, 2018
According to Columbus Police spokeswoman Denise Alex-Bouzounis, Saunders was present during the robbery, therefore having to be arrested.
Likewise, Ohio State law professor Douglas Berman, says that Ohio's murder provision allows her to be charged with murder despite not actually killing the young teen.
16-year-old girl charged with murder in connection with fatal police-involved shooting https://t.co/e1V55BL8w7 pic.twitter.com/VxYuKpIh8o
— NBC4 Columbus (@nbc4i) December 14, 2018
In this case, it is called "felony murder".
“Under what historically has been called 'felony murder,' which means that you're still responsible for a murder if you cause the death of another as an approximate result of committing certain kinds of serious offenses.”
The facts of this case:
— Paige Southwick Pfleger (@PaigePfleger) December 15, 2018
-CPD set up undercover stings on armed robbery suspects
-of 10 stings 2 suspects were shot
-16 year old Julius Ervin Tate Jr was killed
-CPD arrested another teen for Tate’s deathhttps://t.co/EZje5cVtxi
-a criminal history does not change these facts https://t.co/c78vYeWnIq
The tragic event happened when Tate attempted to rob a police officer that was undercover armed with a gun, and another Columbus Police officer had to shoot him.
A cop 100% shot and killed a teenage boy named Julius Tate, Jr. in some botched sting operation. Now the cops are charging another teen "for her role in the incident that led to Tate's death."
— Nima Shirazi (@WideAsleepNima) December 16, 2018
How many twists and turns of phrase can @nbc4i use to avoid explaining what happened? https://t.co/jVu0StR29t
“In a situation where say there's two people involved in a robbery, they go in to rob and then police shoot somebody, and police are actually the ones who did the direct killing, we still say the felons were approximately causing that death and should be held responsible under this felony murder doctrine."
Mother of Masonique Saunders says daughter told her Julius Tate did not have a gun night he was killed https://t.co/iS1KeEUhdy #10TV pic.twitter.com/zQa2ebVnex
— 10TV (@10TV) December 15, 2018
Columbus police have done 10 undercover stings hoping to catch armed robbers. In the two most recent operations, they have fatally shot the suspects, with 16-year-old Tate included.
