Kristion Gresham, 23, has admitted to involuntary manslaughter in a North Linden shooting that left 21-year-old Delvon K. Wilkerson Jr. dead, according to court records. A judge signed off on a plea agreement that carries a 7 to 10 year prison term, bundling the homicide case together with two earlier cases tied to weapons and drug convictions.
Plea package and sentence
As reported by NBC4, court filings show Gresham pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and agreed to a 7 to 10 year sentence. Under the deal, that term will run at the same time as a three year sentence from a May 2023 weapons conviction and a 12 month sentence from a July 2023 drug possession case.
How investigators say it unfolded
According to a Columbus Division of Police press release, officers were sent to the 1000 block of E. 21st Avenue on April 11, 2024, after reports of shots fired. The release states officers found Gresham with a gunshot wound, while Wilkerson was taken privately to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 6:13 p.m. The department’s preliminary findings say an altercation on E. 21st Avenue escalated into gunfire, and detectives are still working the case.
Charges and court record
According to court documents cited by NBC4, Gresham initially faced a murder charge along with several other counts, including felonious assault with firearm specifications, having weapons while under disability, discharging a firearm on or near a prohibited premise and possession of a dangerous ordinance. The plea deal reduces the homicide count to involuntary manslaughter and rolls the pending matters into a single agreement.
What comes next
Detectives requested that anyone with information contact Detective Pribe or the Columbus Homicide Unit, according to the police release. Formal sentencing and any remaining court dates will be handled through Franklin County Common Pleas Court.
