The unsolved murder of Quincy Battle has weighed on his family for years, now that investigators have filed charges in the case, his brother says his family is beginning to feel peace again
“It's been closure. We've been waiting for this for four years. We needed closure on this," says brother Ricky Battle.
Battle was an imposing figure, but despite his size, his brother says he was a big softy. "He was like big teddy bear. The kids would jump on him like big pillow.”
Christopher Wharton, Jonathan Holt and Lance Reynolds were named in a federal indictment in the murder of Battle. Prosecutors say all of them were part of the Short North Posse.
A gang the U.S. attorney's office says operated as one of the largest criminal enterprises in the state. "Murders, attempted murders, robberies and breaking and entering’s," says Assistant US Attorney David Devillers.
A federal grand jury indicted three more people in connection with a series of violent crimes including 13 unsolved murders as well as other attempted murders, drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, extortion and robbery. The addition to the indictment includes an additional 23 felonies, including one murder and nine attempted murders.
Seventeen individuals were indicted in the racketeering case in July. All of the defendants are accused of being an organized criminal enterprise known as the Short North Posse. 11 defendants could face the death penalty if convicted of the crimes in the indictment.
Andre M. Brown, aka ‘Paco’, 33, of Columbus; Jonathan Holt, aka ‘Dough Boy’, 22, of Columbus and Christopher V. Wharton, 25, of Columbus were added to the indictment. Previous defendant Lance Reynolds, 31, of Columbus, was also charged with one count of racketeering conspiracy in the superseding indictment.
Wharton (top left), Holt (top right),Brown (middle left), Reynolds (middle right), Quincy Battle (bottom)
The indictment charges one or more of the defendants with 13 unsolved homicides, 33 attempted homicides, 56 violent felonies and 73 weapons offenses. The crimes occurred in Canal Winchester, Chillicothe, Columbus, Pataskala, Pickerington, and Zanesville, between 2005 and 2012.
For the family of Quincy Battle, they say their son was never in a gang, and they never knew why someone targeted their son. "I think he just got around with the wrong crowd," says Battle
Prosecutors his killers robbed him of cash and drugs.
The family says over the years, they heard whispers about who may be behind the murder of the 32-year old, but kept it quiet.
"We heard names, but we just kept it to ourselves. The detectives, we spoke to them, but they told us to keep everything quiet," Battle explains.
Now that his brother's murder is no longer an unsolved case, he says it's hard to put into words what he would say to those responsible. "I just don't know what to say. Pray we got this far."