Witnesses testify Golsby had gun, victim’s purse
Brian Golsby gave his girlfriend a pink-lined, Kate Spade purse just two hours after authorities say he fatally shot the owner of that purse at a Grove City Metro Park.
The girlfriend, Hattisa Jackson, 23, was among former friends and a co-worker of Golsby’s who testified Wednesday at his capital murder trial.
The testimony, prosecutors say, links Golsby to the February 2017 shooting death of 21-year-old Reagan Tokes, a senior psychology major at Ohio State University. Detailed GPS data from an ankle bracelet that Golsby wore because of a previous conviction also support the stories, according to prosecution.
The purse contained a cream-colored wallet, along with a pepperspray canister and hand lotion, Jackson testified. None of it was Jackson’s, she said.
When Grove City police called her for an interview six days later, she arrived carrying the purse.
Before Jackson testified, Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Mark Serrott warned her to keep in touch with police. If not, he said, she could be charged with tampering with evidence.
She testified that she first met Golsby in January 2017 at a bus stop, when he gave her directions and a cigarette. The pair got together several other times for dinner, for birthdays and just hanging out with friends.
The Feb. 9, 2017 gift of the purse came with $60, Jackson testified, to help with a down payment on an apartment. That’s the exact amount that Golsby ordered Tokes to withdraw from a bank ATM, prosecutors said.
The gifts, given hours after Tokes’ rape and murder, are the type of evidence that Prosecutor Ron O’Brien said will be used in the death penalty phase of the trial if Golsby is convicted.
Witness Tijuanna Richards also knew Golsby through friends of her daughter, whom she lives with in North Linden. She said Golsby had warned her about a gun in his coat the day before Tokes was reported missing from her campus-area apartment.
Golsby, she said, took the bus “almost every day” to visit her daughter, Talia Nathan, 20, and Nathan’s boyfriend.
On Feb. 8, 2017, the last day that Tokes was seen alive, Richards said she was moving his coat off some furniture when she noticed its weight.
“I said, ‘What’s in there?’ He said, ‘a gun’s in there,’ “Richards testified.
Golsby, Richards said, came by the next evening, driving a silver Acura — the type of car that Tokes drove — telling her of the car, “he just got it.” She also said that he had a bag containing cash.
And, she said, his behavior had changed. “He looked pretty strange, compared to normal days ... like something was a little different.”
Tokes’ naked body was found that day near the park entrance. Tokes’ car had been stolen and there was evidence that she had withdrawn $60 from an ATM and made failed attempts twice for $200 and $400 at two banks.
Under cross-examination, defense attorney Diane Menashe asked whether Richards knew that Golsby had a job and took the bus to work. She said yes.
Menashe asked whether Golsby ever showed his weapon. Richards said no, “he was just saying it was in there, be careful ... like that.”
After her testimony, Richards told The Dispatch that Golsby gave no signals that he was capable of doing what he’s accused.
“It was more sad than anything,” she said, to learn about the charges. “I never would have expected any of this.”
Her daughter had a similar reaction after giving her testimony about the gun and car.
“It’s shocking to know that you meet somebody and he has that going on,” Nathan said.