Jayce O'Neal, a 17-year-old girl from Columbus, OH, tragically lost her life on July 12, 2021. The incident occurred following an argument with 16-year-old Marizah Thomas outside Thomas' residence on Ridgebury Drive in Columbus' Far West Side. During the altercation, Thomas reportedly went inside her home, retrieved a gun, and shot O'Neal. Medics transported O'Neal to OhioHealth Doctors Hospital in critical condition, where she was later pronounced dead.
In the aftermath of the shooting,
Thomas fled the scene in a green 2010 Toyota Corolla. Columbus police issued a citywide alert for her and obtained an arrest warrant on a delinquency charge of murder. Thomas was arrested the following morning by Columbus SWAT officers at an apartment building near Forest Street and Berkeley Road. She was held in the Franklin County juvenile detention center and made her initial court appearance on July 14, 2021. Prosecutors filed a motion to transfer her case to adult court, as Ohio law mandates such a transfer for juveniles charged with murder if they were at least 16 at the time of the offense.
The case drew significant attention, and a memorial vigil was organized by friends at Hilliard Bradley High School, where O'Neal once played tennis. Thomas, now 19, stood trial in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, where she argued self-defense under Ohio's "stand your ground" law. After deliberating for over seven hours, the jury acquitted Thomas of murder but found her guilty of tampering with evidence. The sentencing for the tampering charge will be handled in juvenile court.
O'Neal was remembered as a friendly, outgoing girl and a wonderful daughter to her single mother. Her death marked the 107th homicide in Columbus that year, highlighting the city's ongoing struggle with violent crime.
: Dispatch
: 10TV
: Dispatch
