Man gets at least 22 years for murder

A 23-year-old man was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison with no chance of parole for 22 years for his role in the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old boy behind a vacant South Linden house.

Demarius M. Rudasill was convicted last week by a Franklin County jury of murder, aggravated robbery and a gun specification in the death of Ricky Darthard, whose body was found behind the 900 block of East 15th Avenue on Aug. 19, 2017.

The sentence, imposed by Common Pleas Judge Chris Brown, included a mandatory 15 years to life for murder, plus four years for aggravated robbery and three years for the gun specification.

The jury acquitted Rudasill of the more-serious charge of aggravated murder, which carries the possibility of life without parole.

Rudasill, of the South Side, didn’t testify, but jurors heard from a Columbus police officer who said that Rudasill confessed to his involvement during an interview one month after the shooting. The officer testified that Rudasill was driving around with Darthard, one other juvenile and two adults on Aug. 18, 2017. Late that night, Rudasill and the other adults decided to rob Darthard of his handgun. Darthard’s body was found the next day with a gunshot wound in the back of his head.

In September 2017, Columbus police charged Shaiquon M. Sharpe, 22, of Reynoldsburg, in Darthard’s death. Sharpe he has not been indicted in the case, nor has anyone else other than Rudasill. Rudasill