On Nov. 5 after a two-day bench trial, Oda II found Thomas guilty of aggravated murder with firearm specifications, two counts of murder and related charges in the death of Puckett.
Credit: Warren County Jail
Credit: Warren County Jail
Oda also found Thomas guilty of felonious assault and improperly discharging a firearm at or into a habitation. His first opportunity for parole will be in 40 to 42 years, Fornshell said.
On June 17, 2023, Thomas approached Puckett as she returned to her apartment and fired nine shots at close range in front of eyewitnesses, according to the prosecutor’s office. Six of the shots struck Puckett, officials said.
Franklin police officers said they were dispatched about 12:40 a.m. June 18 to Boulder Drive at the Emerald Edge Apartments off East Second Street (Ohio 73), where they found Puckett shot multiple times. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
A neighbor’s doorbell camera recorded audio of the shooting, Fornshell said. Family members told police Thomas had made “multiple violent threats” in the days and weeks before the shooting, according to the prosecutor’s office.
GPS data showed Thomas “had been lying in wait” for Puckett for more than 30 minutes when she came home, officials said.
Witnesses said Thomas appeared and confronted a group that included Puckett at the front door, according to the police report.
The witnesses said they thought Thomas was there to confront a man in the group “because he was with Katelyn,” the police report states.
The man with Puckett ran out the back door “while Katelyn was standing at the front door with Elijah,” according to the police report. “During a heated argument Elijah pointed a gun at Katelyn and shot her multiple times.”
Police said Thomas fled on foot. He was arrested around 9:35 a.m. that day after a traffic stop in Franklin and was taken into custody without incident, according to police.
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