State of Ohio v. Robert Burnett

Columbus, Ohio, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with shooting and killing a friend he’d asked to leave his home.

Burnett asked Beck to leave, and the men began to argue. The argument grew heated as Burnett repeated his request and Beck remained in the home.

Around 2:30 a.m., Burnett shot Beck eight times. He recorded the shooting on his cell phone and claimed he was acting in self-defense. Burnett threw the gun he used over the fence in his backyard and drove Beck’s vehicle away from his home.

Burnett then went to his father’s home. The elder Burnett was out of town, but when he returned around 7:30 p.m., he called police. Franklin County Sheriff’s Office deputies discovered Beck’s body inside Burnett’s home an estimated 17 hours after the shooting.

Burnett was arrested and booked into the Franklin County Jail on a murder charge.

A Franklin County jury found Burnett guilty on two counts of murder, each with three-year firearm specifications, and two counts of tampering with evidence, one with a one-year firearm specification. The jury rejected Burnett’s claim of self-defense in the shooting.