Sinzae Reed's Killer's Murder Charges Dropped, Cops Explain

Source: Diy13 / Getty

Last week BOSSIP reported on the shooting death of 13-year-old Sinzae Reed at the hands of a 36-year-old white man named Krieg Butler in Columbus, Ohio. The infuriating part of the story is that after being charged with murder, the charges were immediately dropped just because Butler claimed “self-defense” all of a sudden. We’re no lawyers but we’ve never heard of getting murder charges completely dropped just because the suspect says “self-defense.” Somebody has to explain this to us.

According to 10TV, the Columbus Police Department is attempting to offer an explanation in the weakest way possible. Let them tell it, during the homicide review the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office learned of Butler’s claim and thought it right to drop the charges until the police gain “key forensic and ballistic evidence” that will help them decide whether or not to present the case to a grand jury.

Here’s What The Columbus Police Department Is Saying

“We are aware of the community’s concerns regarding the investigation and want to ensure the community that this investigation is far from over. The detectives assigned to the case are working diligently to present a complete and thorough investigation to the Franklin County Prosecutor,” the statement from police read.

“We ask for patience during this time. Once we are able to provide more information, we will. We have promised transparency and will continue to provide information when it can be released.” The statement continues:

During the Homicide review of the investigation, there was an allegation made by Mr. Butler that he acted in self-defense. The Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office, upon learning of this information, dismissed the charges against Mr. Butler pending the completion of the investigation. The Columbus Division of Police does not dismiss charges. We continue to investigate the circumstances of Mr. Reed’s death with the help of outside entities and are still awaiting key forensic and ballistic evidence.

Essentially, “don’t blame us, blame the prosecutors.” Classic bureaucratic buck-passing. We’re keeping a VERY close eye on this Sinzae Reed case because somethin’ ain’t right…