With two years passed since Ohio State student Chase Meola’s murder, the trial took a step forward towards a verdict. Credit: Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch via TNS
Over two years have passed since Ohio State student Chase Meola was shot and killed at an off-campus party, and the case is one step closer to trial in Franklin County.
In the second part of a suppression hearing set to take place Thursday in a Franklin County court, lawyers will argue whether any evidence from witnesses who identified defendant Kintie Mitchell Jr. as the shooter should be used in the upcoming trial.
According to case documents and arguments from a Dec. 14, 2022, hearing, defense attorneys claim Mitchell was misidentified, but the prosecution believes otherwise. Judge Jeffery Brown could decide as early as Thursday whether the defense’s claims hold up and if evidence identifying Mitchell can be used.
Mitchell is pleading not guilty for all charges. He currently faces two murder charges as a repeat violent offender and one charge of having a weapon while under disability.
Mitchell was indicted in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Oct. 21, 2020, for the murder of Ohio State student Chase Meola. Mitchell was arrested and charged with one count of murder. Mitchell’s bond was set at $2.1 million.
Meola was shot near a party at the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity on East 14th and Indianola avenues Oct. 11, 2020. First responders pronounced Meola dead at 2:17 a.m. in a parking lot near the party. Meola was 23 years old.
According to the police report, Mitchell shot Meola after an altercation near the party, and 911 calls obtained by The Lantern stated Mitchell pulled a gun out during the fight and threatened to kill Meola.
The Lantern reached out to Mitchell’s lawyer and the prosecutors, and both parties declined to comment.
What happened that night
The defense argues Mitchell was misidentified by witnesses twice based on police misconduct — first, in-person the night of the shooting and second, the day after in a set of photos.
After the shooting, officers within the Columbus Division of Police and the University Police Department gathered witnesses of the shooting. Court documents state witnesses gave multiple descriptions of the shooter, and four men were detained a few blocks away from the shooting — including Mitchell — who matched the description.
At the scene of the detainment, a witness claimed Mitchell killed Meola, according to court documents filed by Mitchell’s defense. One witness identified another person detained as the shooter, and two other witnesses were “unable to identify” any of the four men as the shooter.
The man who identified Mitchell as the shooter said he was “90-95 percent” certain he was correct.
About 12 hours later, a separate witness picked Mitchell out of an array of six photos, calling him the man who shot Meola.
Dec. 14, 2022 hearing
Thursday’s hearing will continue from the Dec. 14, 2022, hearing, in which Mitchell appeared in person. Four police officers spoke at the hearing. The defense questioned the legitimacy of each step of the investigation that led to Mitchell’s arrest.
University police officer Thomas Schneider was a first responder the night Meola was murdered while doing a joint patrol with Columbus police. On the stand, Schneider described the “chaotic” scene and the “many states of emotion” at the party. Though Columbus police led the investigation, he said he gathered descriptions of the shooter: a young Black male in a white T-shirt with dreads.
Columbus patrol officer Don Olson helped detain the four suspects that night. Detaining Mitchell and three other men, he said police separated them into police cruisers and brought the men to be identified by witnesses.
Columbus patrol officer Michael Alexander was another first responder that night, and Alexander escorted the prosecution’s star witness to identify Mitchell after his arrest. Video from his police cruiser was shown.
In the video, the court saw the witness in Alexander’s police cruiser. The defense found an issue with the treatment of this witness, because police allowed him to see his girlfriend, and he was communicating with other people on the phone. The defense believes this lack of isolation could have influenced the witness or his memory of the shooting.
Retired Sgt. James Jardine acted as the blind administrator of the photo array used to identify Mitchell as the shooter, giving the six photos of potential shooters to the witness. As a blind administrator, Jardine had “no other involvement” with the case, and he did not know Mitchell was a suspect at the time.
What’s next
The court is expected to hear from at least one more police officer Thursday. It’s not clear from court records who that officer might be.
In order to suppress the prosecution’s evidence in court, court documents state the defense must prove to Judge Brown that witnesses were unreliable in some way and Mitchell’s guilt was suggested by the police.
Before the murder trial can begin, Mitchell will likely be offered a plea bargain, according to Luffman, Heck and Associates.
Meola’s parents, Margaret and Paul Meola, have also been pursuing legal action in relation to his murder. In October 2022, Meola’s family filed lawsuits against the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity and Ohio State, arguing both entities failed to take action to keep students safe.
Following Chase Meola’s death, over 300 people gathered to celebrate his life in a candlelight vigil, and in October 2021 a demonstration of 300 parents, students and community members was held in his name.
Chase Meola was awarded a posthumous degree in Business Administration at the spring 2021 commencement, and Fisher College of Business dedicated a memorial in his honor.
Chase Meola’s parents have been outspoken advocates for student safety at Ohio State, and since Chase Meola’s death, the university has increased safety measures off-campus.
