COLUMBUS, Ohio — Authorities arrested a second suspect Tuesday in connection to a man who was found dead in an alley in the Franklinton neighborhood last month.
Officers with the Columbus Division of Police were called to the area of Meek and Jones avenues on March 25 on a report of a body in the alley. When they arrived, police found the man, 56-year-old John Lang, unresponsive with a possible gunshot wound.
Medics were called to the scene and Lang was pronounced dead moments later.
Police arrested 55-year-old Derrick Brown on Monday. He is charged with murder.
Darrelle Howell, 33, was arrested on Tuesday on warrants for murder and abuse of a corpse.
Both men were booked into Franklin County Jail.
Investigators learned that Lang was picked up in a 2010 Mercury Mariner by Howell and driven to an apartment on West Broad Street and Hawkes Avenue along with two others for a narcotics purchase, according to Franklin County Municipal Court records.
When Howell left the vehicle, he passed Brown and whispered something before going inside the apartment. Court records say Brown got into the driver’s seat and started robbing Lang. He then shot Lang at least once and left the area. Court records did not state if anything was taken from Lang.
Howell came out of the apartment and drove to Jones Avenue to dump Lang’s body in an alley, according to court records.
On Monday, a witness contacted Columbus police about Brown’s location. Detectives found Brown on Hawkes Avenue and detained him for an open container and littering.
The witness was taken to Columbus police headquarters where they positively identified Brown as the suspect in the shooting.
Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call Det. Journey at 614-645-4953, the Homicide Unit at 614-645-4730 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-8477 (TIPS).