For more than two years, Megan Reed has waited for some form of justice for her son, Sinzae. The 13-year-old was shot and killed just feet from the front door of his home by a man who says he opened fire in self-defense, though police say there is no evidence that the child had a gun.

Reed’s wait ended Friday — but maybe not in the way she hoped. Prosecutors in Franklin County, Ohio, began this week presenting his case against Krieg Allen Butler, 38, who was charged with gun crimes but — to the dismay of Reed and local activists — not murder.

Before the jury could deliberate, Butler decided to plead guilty to both charges in the two-count indictment in exchange for a less severe sentence. He faces up to 4 1/2 years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced on December 2.

For black residents here, the treatment of the case seems all too familiar. Local criminal justice reform advocates said there has long been an unequal standard for justice when the suspects are white and the victims are black, as in Butler’s case.

But community activists are encouraged that their quest for equity took a significant step forward earlier this month with the election of a black woman, Shayla Favor, as Franklin County’s chief prosecutor. Favor expressed his commitment to making the system fairer.

“I’m pretty humbled that the people of Franklin County elected me,” Favor, 43, said in a recent interview with Capital B. “They believed in the vision that I ran. We had a very contested primary. And so, it looks like we’re done with this round, and now we’re on to the next, the next battle that’s ahead of us.”

Reed’s hope for justice is tempered, however, by the history of unsolved homicide cases in Columbus, Ohio. Many investigations have gone cold in the city – which has a 56% homicide elimination rate since 1965 — with the perpetrators remaining unidentified, especially in 2021, when homicides reached an all-time high. Residents say this is a familiar pattern for Franklin County, especially in cases involving law enforcement — and especially when those cases involve black victims.

Criminal justice reform advocates have accused the prosecutor’s office of racial bias in its handling of allegations of brutality; since its inception, the prosecutor’s office has been led by white men, while many of those alleging police abuses are black.

After electoral victory Earlier this month, by Favor, the first black person to lead the prosecution, many Columbus voters say they hope allegations of police brutality will be more thoroughly investigated. Favor’s victory was historic: She won the primary against two other black candidates—Delaware’s city attorney Natalia Harris and Anthony PiersonDeputy Chief Counsel in the Prosecutor’s Office. And in November, Favor defeated his Republican opponent.

Her win came just one day after Pierson secured Ohio’s first conviction in a police-related death case. Conviction of Adam Coy for his murder Andrew Hilla black man, represents a rare example of justice in cases of police brutality, said Karla White Carey, board member of Ohio Families Unite Against Police Brutality.

Nationally, only six other police officers have been convicted of murder since 2005, said Philip Stinson, a criminal justice professor at Bowling Green State University who tracks manslaughter and manslaughter convictions and charges against police officers in the whole country.

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During his campaign, Favor promised to reexamine cases where charges were not filed.

“I am more than willing to sit down with those family members who have waited for justice for their loved ones who were senselessly killed in our community,” Favor said.

“I understand the weight of this moment”

Favor, who will relinquish his City Council seat when he takes office in 2025, has expressed his commitment to bringing about significant change.

“The reality is there is no relationship right now between this office and our community,” Favor said bluntly. “And it’s too late when a tragedy has happened to try to build that relationship.”

Building — and rebuilding — relationships with the community is a point of focus for Favor and one she said should be shared by police officers across the county. “We’ve talked about accountability and that no one is above reproach, and that’s about prosecuting police misconduct and public corruption,” she said.

Read more: In this Ohio county, a historic district attorney race highlights police killings

Ramon Obey II, a Columbus activist, said Favor’s leadership brings new hope to activists and residents who have waited for justice in criminal cases like the Butler trial.

Favor’s supporters say her experience — in addition to serving six years on the City Council, she also worked in the city attorney’s office for nearly a decade — has positioned her as someone who understands both the intricacies of the law and and the widespread sense among its members. community that there has been unequal prosecution of justice in the county and will inform its approach to prosecutions.

The favor also focuses on diversifying the prosecutor’s office: It has 130 attorneys, but fewer than eight assistant prosecutors identify as people of color. She said she’s also aware of the need to address systemic problems in the office: She plans to review 39 police brutality cases brought before 2018, particularly those where no charges were filed.

Each year, at least 1,000 people are killed by police, according to the Mapping Police Violence database. Most of these cases are traffic stops involving people of color.

“I think about the reality I’m facing,” she said. “I understand the weight of this moment.”

Carey sees Favor’s historic victory as a positive step. She also emphasized the importance of a black woman holding the position, especially given the history of systemic injustices. Ohio has had 110 convictions overturned since 1989; 67 of those exonerated in those cases were black, according to the National Exoneration Registry database.

“I was able to show my niece what black women are capable of if we put our minds to it,” Carey, 63, said. While giving Favor time to find his place, Carey and others in the community said they are eager to hold on. she accountable, as she would for any elected official.

Favor promised to work for transparency and accountability in the office. She pledged to meet with families of victims who have waited for justice for their loved ones killed in encounters with police, such as those of Casey Goodson Jr., Donovan Lewisand Ta’Kiya Young.

These deaths added to the long list of police brutality cases in Ohio. The Buckeye State has had 377 fatal police incidents since 2013, with 38 percent of the victims black, according to the Mapping Police Violence database. One-third of those incidents occurred in Franklin County, with 41 of those deaths attributed to Columbus police officers.

When Favor is sworn in, she will join the less than 1%. black women elected prosecutors throughout the country. Columbus voters who supported Favor the vice president also claimed Kamala Harris in her historic run to become the first black woman president of the United States. Their votes reflected a desire for change — away from the white supremacist ideologies that were prominent during President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign and first term.

“When I think about what this role means, what this moment in time looks like, I feel the weight, the weight of this moment,” Favor said.

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