On the morning of June 25, 2024, police in Columbus, Ohio, responded to a 911 call from someone who had seen a person lying on the floor inside a residence on the 1200 block of Seymour Avenue. When officers entered the home in the Deshler Park neighborhood, they discovered two men who had been fatally shot. The victims were identified as the homeowner, Darrell Walker, a 45-year-old Black man, and Reginald Purnell Sr., 48.
Medics arrived and pronounced both men dead at the scene shortly after 10 a.m.
The investigation revealed that the double homicide had occurred the previous day, June 24. According to court documents, Purnell Sr. had gone to Walker's home with his son, Reginald M. Purnell Jr., and another man with the intent to commit a robbery. During the attempted home invasion, a violent confrontation unfolded that left both Darrell Walker and Reginald Purnell Sr. dead from gunshot wounds.
In the aftermath, Purnell Jr. fled the scene, but investigators found his personal belongings, which linked him to the crime. Detectives built their case using evidence that included cell phone data, text messages, and video footage. More than three months later, in October 2024, police arrested Reginald M. Purnell Jr., then 32, and charged him with two counts of murder, involuntary manslaughter, aggravated burglary, and having weapons under disability.
In August 2025, Purnell Jr. accepted a plea deal and pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of involuntary manslaughter. A Franklin County Court of Common Pleas judge sentenced him to serve nine to 12 years in prison for his role in the deadly home invasion. He was also granted 401 days of credit for time already served in jail. The case was closed as of his sentencing in August 2025.
