Nearly three months have gone by since Sinzae Reed’s killer, Krieg Butler, was released from jail after Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office (FCPO) dismissed the charges against him. At the time we released an article to shed light on what happened to Sinzae, we didn’t have knowledge of the Ohio law that went into effect in 2019. Under the Ohio law, House Bill 228, a potential suspect no longer needs to prove they shot someone in self-defense, instead the burden rests on the prosecution.
This is all sounding too real familiar. Remember how the Trayvon Martin case played out. In that case, we saw Zimmerman shoot and kill a 17-year-old unarmed Black child, claim self-defense, and ultimately got away with murder. The family of Sinzae, rightfully so, feels as though their child’s case may go the same route. The activists and advocates on the ground are not letting it go down like that.
What’s next?
In Ohio, there is no statute of limitations on a murder case. As it stands, the police and the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office are conducting their own investigations. Once it is complete, FCPO will bring this evidence to a grand jury, which typically has broad power to see and hear a wide range of evidence, to determine if there will be an indictment of Krieg Butler for the killing of Sinzae Reed on October 12, 2022.
“Upon receipt of the investigation, the Office of the Franklin County Prosecutor will take appropriate action, including presentation of this matter to the Franklin County Grand Jury,” the office said in an automated statement.
What we are waiting on . . .
In short, we are waiting on the autopsy report to come back from the coroner office. The autopsy will show not only how Sinzae was killed but also how many times he was shot by Krieg Butler. Unfortunately, it is being reported that the autopsy report will take about six months to come back. Seems a little strange to me, knowing most autopsy reports take roughly six weeks to come back; however, this could be standard for Franklin County. Since three months have passed, the autopsy report could be back as early as April if what we are seeing is correct.
As we learn more about Sinzae’s case, we’ll be back around to share more information. Keep up the pressure to demand “justice” for Sinzae, even though the real justice is Sinzae being alive.
