Angel Diaz, 13, was walking home in North Linden when gunfire from a passing car struck and killed him in April 2024.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Three men were sentenced Thursday in the 2024 shooting death of 13-year-old Angel Diaz, bringing an emotional end to a case that rattled Columbus’ North Linden neighborhood. The hearing drew heavy security and a packed gallery as relatives of the victim and defendants watched the judge impose prison terms.
Prosecutors said the men were in a car when shots were fired, fatally striking Diaz as he returned from a nearby recreation center. Investigators said it remains unknown who pulled the trigger, but all three admitted roles in the killing. In January, the men pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter after initially facing murder counts. On Thursday, the judge sentenced Jaivon Jones, 22, and Dock Parker, 23, to 12 to 14 years in prison; and Mekhi Webster, 24, to 19 to 21½ years. The case had become a touchstone in the city’s debate over youth violence and accountability.
Throughout the hearing, the courtroom alternated between silence and sobs. Diaz’s mother, speaking through an interpreter, told the defendants her family “was forever changed” the night her son was killed. “You have destroyed and broken my heart as a mother,” she said. Jones apologized from counsel’s table. “I am sorry to the family for my actions, for my stupidity,” he said, adding that he wished he could undo what happened. Prosecutors recounted how Diaz had been walking home when the car rolled through and gunfire erupted. Defense attorneys said their clients showed remorse and accepted responsibility under the plea agreements.
Authorities said the shooting happened in April 2024 in North Linden, an area long challenged by street violence. Police reports describe shots coming from a vehicle; the round that struck Diaz ended his life within minutes. Detectives built the case over months, and arrests followed later that year. The three defendants were initially charged with multiple offenses, including murder, before entering pleas to involuntary manslaughter. Records indicate the uncertainty over the shooter’s identity, but prosecutors argued the group’s actions set the deadly chain in motion. The judge agreed that each bore responsibility under Ohio law.
Thursday’s hearing capped a year and a half of filings, continuances and negotiations. The court accepted the plea deals last month, clearing the way for sentencing. The judge’s orders included standard prison terms within the ranges negotiated by both sides. No fines were announced in court. Prosecutors said the case remains closed unless new evidence emerges. Any future proceedings would involve routine post-sentencing motions or appeals. Victim-impact statements will be placed in the case file, and the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction will calculate exact release windows based on credit and statute.
Outside the courtroom, relatives hugged and wiped away tears. A family friend described Diaz as soft-spoken and quick to help younger kids at the recreation center. “He should be here,” the friend said. A neighborhood resident who attended the hearing said the sentences would not bring back the teen but offered “a step toward accountability.” A defense attorney said his client would use prison programs to “come home better than he went in.” The prosecutor declined to comment beyond the court record.
The case now moves into the corrections system. As of Thursday afternoon, the defendants were being processed for transport to state prison. The next update is expected when inmate records reflect their intakes and projected release windows in line with the court’s ranges.
Author note: Last updated February 6, 2026.