In the winter of 2017, the life of 20-year-old Richard 'Richie' Cozart Jr., a male resident of New Albany, Indiana, was tragically cut short. On the evening of January 18th, Cozart was a passenger in a friend's car, turning onto Erni Avenue when the night was shattered by the sound of rapid gunfire. In what was described as an ambush, an assailant in another vehicle unleashed a hail of bullets. A friend in the car with him, who narrowly escaped injury, heard Cozart's last words: 'I'm hit.'
They rushed towards the hospital, but he succumbed to a gunshot wound before they could arrive.
The investigation into the city's first homicide of the year quickly pointed toward a dispute possibly involving drugs or money, with the Floyd County Prosecutor assuring the community that it was not a random act of violence. Cozart's mother acknowledged her son's struggles with drugs but firmly believed he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and did not deserve his fate. Friends remembered Richie as a big-hearted jokester who loved to make people happy and could improvise a rap tune almost instantly. As his family grieved and tried to arrange for his funeral, the New Albany Police Department worked to bring his killer to justice.
Within weeks, authorities identified Deante Williams, a resident of Louisville, as the primary suspect, and a warrant for his arrest on a murder charge was issued. In March, with the assistance of the LMPD and the US Marshal's Office, the New Albany Police Department apprehended Williams. The legal proceedings that followed revealed a more complex story. The defense claimed that Williams had not intended to kill Cozart but was instead trying to shoot the car's tires to scare the driver, with whom he had a previous argument.
Faced with key witnesses changing their stories, the prosecution grew concerned that a murder conviction would be difficult to secure, potentially leading to a much lesser sentence on a reckless homicide charge. Consequently, a plea deal was offered. In April 2018, Deante Williams, then 19, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison. The outcome brought a measure of closure to the case but left Cozart's family feeling that justice had not been fully served for the loss of the young man's life.
