Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Mark Serrott on Thursday cleared LaRoy Robinson of murder and most of the top counts tied to a deadly December 2023 shooting on Columbus' Northeast Side, while keeping a single weapons conviction on the books and ordering community control and financial penalties. Robinson had waived his right to a jury and opted to have Serrott decide the case in a bench trial held Monday.
Serrott found 51-year-old Robinson not guilty of murder, felonious assault, tampering with evidence and improper discharge of a firearm, but convicted him of having weapons while under disability. He imposed five years of community control, a $1,000 fine and court costs and fees, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
The shooting took place on Dec. 2, 2023, when 46-year-old Malik Islam approached Robinson on the 2000 block of Cornell Avenue and, according to prosecutors, became verbally aggressive. Robinson testified that he fired a single shot after saying Islam reached into a pocket for something he believed was a gun. He has consistently claimed the killing was an act of self‑defense, as detailed in reporting republished by Yahoo.
Why the Judge Tossed the Jury Verdict
The case took an unusual turn when Serrott earlier set aside the jury's May 2024 murder verdict. He concluded that his own instruction about whether Robinson had a duty to retreat was wrong and that "the instructions likely misled the jury." After the trial, jurors even asked whether Ohio has a "stand your ground" law and indicated that some would not have voted to convict if they had been told there was no duty to retreat, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
Ohio Law and the Retreat Question
Ohio lawmakers in recent years rewrote key self‑defense provisions, tightening how courts and juries may consider whether someone could have walked away instead of using force. Under the revised statute, a trier of fact "shall not consider the possibility of retreat" when deciding whether a person reasonably believed force was necessary, language that has become central in challenges to jury instructions. The no‑duty‑to‑retreat rules were enacted in 2021 and are laid out in The Ohio Revised Code.
Where the Case Stands
With Robinson acquitted of murder and the other major counts, the conviction for having weapons while under disability is the only criminal finding left from the Cornell Avenue encounter. Serrott's sentence of community control, along with the fine and costs, will be entered into the case record. The outcome closes the latest chapter in this closely watched Franklin County case and highlights how evolving self‑defense laws and finely worded jury instructions can decide whether a shooting is treated as a crime or a justified use of force.
