William Marshall, 31, was sentenced Friday to 25 to 30.5 years in prison after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter and felonious assault for the shooting that killed a 71-year-old man inside a Gahanna Subway last winter. The victim, Gary Frantz, was shot in the head while waiting in line to order on Dec. 20, 2024, authorities say. The plea brings an end to a months-long court process that included repeated mental health evaluations for Marshall.
Judge imposes decades behind bars
According to The Columbus Dispatch, Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Mark Serrott handed down the 25 to 30.5-year sentence after Marshall entered his guilty plea on May 8. Prosecutors had pushed for a long prison term, arguing that a single, deadly shot into a crowded lunch line demanded serious time. Sentencing records show Serrott weighed both the brutality of the shooting and Marshall’s medical evaluations before deciding on the punishment.
How investigators say it happened
Police say the shooting happened around 1:20 p.m. on Dec. 20, 2024, at the Subway in Stoneridge Plaza, 321 Stoneridge Lane, where Frantz was standing in line to order. Initial coverage highlighting the chaos inside the sandwich shop identified Frantz as the victim and reported that witnesses rushed to help as the store erupted. Authorities arrested Marshall at the scene, and he was held without bond during the early stages of the case.
Mental health evaluations and arrest details
Documents and testimony, as reported by The Columbus Dispatch, show that Marshall underwent multiple mental health evaluations while awaiting trial and that evaluators ultimately found him competent to stand trial. Detectives testified that Marshall’s parents told officers he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and that he had legally purchased the handgun about two months before the shooting. Court filings also state that Marshall went outside after the gunfire, stripped naked and was found sitting on a curb with his hands raised when officers approached.
What comes next
Marshall’s guilty plea spares the community a full trial, although the case could still be appealed. The sentence means he will spend decades in state prison, a punishment prosecutors said fit the sudden and random nature of the attack. For Gahanna residents and businesses in Stoneridge Plaza, the case stands as a stark reminder of how quickly an ordinary lunch break can turn deadly.
