A 17-year-old girl has been sentenced to three years in prison after her boyfriend was shot and killed by an undercover Columbus police officer during an attempted robbery last year.
Masonique Saunders was arrested and charged because police said she played a role in the robbery that resulted in the death of 16-year-old Julius Tate Jr.
According to Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office, police were investigating a series of robberies that happened in the area during transactions to sell items advertised via a phone app.
Police responded to an ad on December 7, 2018 and sent an undercover SWAT officer in plain clothes.
Police said Tate arrived at the meeting place and pointed a gun at the undercover officer. He was shot and killed by another officer.
The prosecutor’s office said the same name and phone number used by Saunders and Tate had been used on November 28, 2018 at the same location where a woman with a child was robbed and pistol whipped.
In May, Saunders pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter.
Saunders was initially charged with murder. As part of an agreement with prosecutors, Saunders pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of aggravated robbery in juvenile court.
The prosecutors dismissed gun specifications and withdrew a motion seeking to have the case transferred to adult court.
Saunders could possibly be released from prison after two years.
