Man who killed Columbus 13-year-old pleads guilty, but not to murder

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A man who exchanged gunfire with a 13-year-old has pleaded guilty to two charges, but neither of them were the murder charge he originally faced.

The day after the shooting death of Sinzae Reed in October 2022, Columbus police arrested 38-year-old Krieg Butler Sr. on a charge of murder. But within the month, the Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney's Office dismissed the charge after Butler claimed he shot Reed in self-defense. While a grand jury also didn't pursue the charge, they did indict him on a count of improperly handling a firearm in a motor vehicle, and another of tampering with evidence.

On Friday, the Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney's Office said Butler pleaded guilty to both of the charges. A judge will sentence him on Dec. 2, and prosecutors said they and the defense both recommended Butler spend six months in jail, and three years on probation. Butler also agreed to testify "should anyone ever be charged in connection with Reed's death."

Butler gave descriptions of witnesses to the shootout in the Wedgewood Village Apartments during an interrogation, and told police they would corroborate his claim of self-defense. Investigators then found and interviewed three people matching the descriptions. They confirmed the 13-year-old shot at Butler first, according to the prosecutor. All three of them added that after Reed collapsed in the street, they also saw someone approach and remove what they thought was a firearm from his body. The latter detail matched what one initial witness told investigators, but that person only described it as an object.

After initially denying owning a firearm or that he shot back at Reed when officers arrested him, prosecutors noted Butler later admitted to returning fire and then got rid of his gun after leaving the scene.