SouthernWorldwide.com – A former sheriff’s deputy has been convicted of reckless homicide in the shooting death of Casey Goodson Jr., a Black man killed in December 2020 as he was entering his grandmother’s home. The verdict comes after a mistrial was declared on the more serious charge of murder, as jurors could not reach a unanimous decision.
Jason Meade, the deputy who is White, claimed he was justified in shooting Goodson, who was 23 at the time. Meade testified that he saw Goodson holding a gun and turning towards him. However, no other witnesses corroborated this account. Furthermore, no cameras were present to record the incident.
This marks the second trial for Meade. His first murder trial also ended in a mistrial two years prior. He is now one of the few White law enforcement officers in Ohio to be convicted in the killing of a Black man since the nationwide protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota in 2020.
Tamala Payne, Casey Goodson Jr.’s mother, expressed that the guilty verdict on the reckless homicide charge brings her family closure and peace. She had previously stated her belief that her son was “murdered in cold blood.”
“I’m happy, I’m sad and I’m everywhere,” Payne told CBS affiliate WBNS. She added that seeing Meade “convicted of something is still a great feeling.”
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During the first trial, Meade stated that he pursued Goodson after Goodson allegedly waved a gun at him. According to Goodson’s family and prosecutors, however, Goodson was carrying a bag of Subway sandwiches and his keys, listening to music through earbuds, when he was shot multiple times in the back and once in the side.
Meade opted not to testify in his second trial. Prosecutors presented evidence suggesting the gun was not in Goodson’s hand but was located in a holder under his belt. The gun was found under his body, with its safety mechanism still engaged, as he lay mortally wounded inside his grandmother’s house.
Meade, now 47, retired from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department in 2021. He also serves as a Baptist pastor. His defense attorneys argued that Meade’s accounts of the incident justified the shooting.
Under Ohio law, murder is defined as the purposeful causing of death, while reckless homicide involves acting recklessly in causing a death. Murder is punishable by up to life in prison, whereas reckless homicide carries a maximum sentence of five years.
Judge David Young has scheduled sentencing for July 16. Prosecutors indicated they were satisfied with the reckless homicide conviction but have not yet decided whether to pursue a third trial for murder. Payne, however, expressed her desire for a retrial on the murder charge.
“Knowing that in the first trial, nine jurors wanted to convict him of murder, and (in) this trial, 10 jurors wanted to convict him of murder, there’s an overwhelming number of folks who hear this case and they understand that this was murder,” stated Sean Walton, the attorney representing the Payne family, to WBNS.
The defense attorneys, Mark Collins and Kaitlyn Stephens, did not comment to the media following the verdict. Brian Steel, president and chief executive of the Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge #9, stated that while he respects the jury’s decision, he is “disappointed.” He expressed hope that the prosecutor’s office would not pursue a third trial on the murder charge.
“This was long six years drawn out. This is the second trial. I hope they’re for the sake of not only the Meade family, the Goodson family and the community, I hope we don’t try to do a third trial on this murder charge,” Steel remarked.
Christopher Corne, who was driving nearby, testified for the prosecution in both trials. He stated that Goodson appeared to be dancing and singing in his truck shortly before the shooting and did not see a gun in Goodson’s hand during the first trial.
Columbus police Officer Samuel Rippey testified during the second trial that he observed the gun, equipped with an extended magazine, on the floor while administering emergency treatment to Goodson.
The death of Casey Goodson Jr. fueled public outrage in Ohio, intensifying calls for police reform. This incident occurred amid an increase in killings of Black individuals by White officers, following the death of George Floyd. Banners demanding justice for Goodson and the conviction of Meade were displayed on highway overpasses in Columbus, but the judge ordered their removal during the trial.
Prior prosecutions in similar cases in Ohio have resulted in only one conviction: that of Columbus police officer Adam Coy, who was indicted on charges including murder in the 2020 killing of Andre Hill.
