Butler, 24, of Richwood, also will have to pay $1,500 in fines and will be on probation for three years following his prison sentence. He pleaded guilty last month to charges of reckless homicide and tampering with evidence. Butler had been indicted on murder and manslaughter charges.
He said Wednesday he started the fight out of fear due to threats from other inmates, who urged him on, at the Tri-County Regional Jail in Mechanicsburg.
Butler was arrested for an OVI charge on April 5 and was booked into the jail. That night he got into a confrontation with Piersol, a suspect in a child rape case, and the two began fighting and went to the ground.
Witnesses said Butler repeatedly hit Piersol in the head with his knee, but Butler said in court that his knee hit Piersol in the chin while the two were getting up.
The fight didn’t last more than one minute, Talebi said.
After the fight Butler switched pants with another inmate because he had blood on his clothes.
At some point after that confrontation, Piersol went to the bathroom. He was then beaten again by other inmates, Butler said in court.
Piersol later that night fell from the top bunk, investigators have said, and hit his head on a desk and the floor. He suffered a skull fracture and later died at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton.
Champaign County Common Pleas Judge Nick Selvaggio asked prosecutors and defense attorneys Wednesday if any video evidence supported Butler’s claim of a second assault. The security footage from the jail was too blurry to make out individuals or their intentions, both said.
Butler’s brother said after the sentencing hearing that the family believes that better security footage could have shown that he wasn’t solely responsible for Piersol’s death.
Piersol’s sister, Gery Martin, gave a statement on behalf of the family in court.
“I will never get to watch my children grow up knowing their uncle and knowing how goofy he can be when life does not weigh him down,” Martin said. “Zach, our family is holding you responsible.”
Butler then looked at the family and apologized to them.
“I’ve sat in jail and all I can think about is what happened,” Butler said “I’m not blaming the alcohol. I did not mean for any of this to intentionally happen. It happened so fast that I didn’t know what to do. I was in danger.”
Selvaggio later said in his 23 years working in the justice system, he has rarely seen a defendant turn and look at the victim’s family when speaking, which he said showed remorse.
Butler also said he has struggled with depression in his life and turned to alcohol. He has a history of disorderly conduct and OVI charges, and currently faces a felonious assault charge in Logan County from a fight.
He said has sought therapy and started medications.
“This was a wake up call from God himself,” Butler said.
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