COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A Columbus man will spend life in prison for a multitude of charges following the shooting of three people that left two dead, including his own sister, in Sept. 2023.
Joseph Howard, 22, received a cumulative life sentence Thursday with the possibility of parole after 49 years. He was found guilty of murder, aggravated murder, aggravated robbery, felonious assault and tampering with evidence by a jury July 17, 2026.
On Sept. 13, 2026, Tavia Copley, and Howard’s sister, Taya Mollette, got into a fight outside Double D’s Pub on South High St. at around 11:30 p.m., according to court records. Howard yelled “Get off my sister” and fired a shot towards the women, striking them and a third person, prosecutors said at Howard’s arraignment hearing…