COLUMBUS, Ohio — A Westerville woman who fatally stabbed a 17-year-old girl during a fight last year in northeast Columbus was sentenced as part of a plea deal on Thursday.
Bryanna Barozzini, 20, pleaded guilty last month to involuntary manslaughter in the death of Halia Culbertson. She was originally charged with murder.
On March 26, 2023, Columbus police were called to a carryout store on Emporium Square near Cleveland Avenue where officers found Culbertson suffering from a stab wound. She was taken to a hospital and later died.
According to a sentencing memo filed by the defense, Barozzini and Culbertson used to be friends but had a falling out.
On the night of the stabbing, the memo says Barozzini went into the carryout store, not knowing Culbertson was there. An argument happened in the store and Culbertson was removed from the store by an employee. Culbertson stood outside of the store waiting for Barozzini to come out, surveillance video shows. Culbertson then approached Barozzini and a man she was with once they walked out into the parking lot.
Cellphone video taken by one of Culbertson's friends outside the store was shown at the sentencing hearing Thursday.
In the video, you could hear the two arguing before Culbertson approached Barozzini and slapped her. As Culbertson backed up after hitting Barozzini, that's when she appeared to have been stabbed.
A scuffle between the two then ensued and once broken up, the video showed that the front of Culbertson's shirt was covered in blood.
Prosecutors said it was reasonable that Culbertson's actions would anger Barozzini, but they didn't justify what she did to Culbertson.
"None of those actions justify Bryanna Barozzini taking a knife and plunging it into Halia's clavicle. Rather, that is an act of unjustifiable rage," prosecutors said.
Barozzini's attorney called the incident a fistfight that got out of hand.
Judge Mark Serrott sentenced Barozzini to three years in prison, which is the maximum she could have received due to the plea deal.