Columbus man admits shooting friend he alleges pointed a gun at him while both were drunk
In February 2023, three young men, all friends, were drunk and armed in a car on Columbus' North Side when things took a deadly turn.
Nicholas Kesterson, 23, of Columbus' West Side, admitted last week to fatally shooting 21-year-old James Shearer II, of Grove City, in the early hours of Feb. 18, 2023.
Kesterson pleaded guilty in Franklin County Common Pleas Court to involuntary manslaughter under a plea agreement with county prosecuting attorneys, who dropped murder and other charges.
Judge David Young sentenced Kesterson to 10 years to 13 ½ years in prison, following the recommendation in the plea agreement.
Kesterson’s attorney, Gregg Slemmer, told The Dispatch that all three men together that day were friends and were drunk. Kesterson had a good self-defense argument to fight a murder conviction at trial, according to Slemmer, because Shearer pointed a gun he bought that day at the third friend before pointing it at Kesterson.Kesterson shot Shearer, then he and the other man fled the scene, Slemmer said.
Kesterson attempted to drive them away, but crashed into a parked car and a fire hydrant. The two men then attempted to run away on foot, according to police.
Slemmer said going to trial and risking a murder conviction wasn’t worth it because it couldn’t be denied Kesterson attempted to flee the scene and that he had a gun illegally. Kesterson could not legally own a gun because he was previously convicted of a felony for improperly handling a firearm in a motor vehicle in 2021.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus man sentenced for manslaughter in fatal North Side shooting
