Joseph Howard was convicted after a 2023 shooting that killed his sister and another woman and wounded a man.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A 22-year-old Ohio man has been sentenced to life in prison for a 2023 shooting outside a Columbus bar that killed his sister and another woman and wounded a third person, with prosecutors saying he will first be eligible for parole after 49 years.
Joseph Howard received the sentence Aug. 6 after a Franklin County jury found him guilty in July of charges including aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault, aggravated robbery and tampering with evidence. The case stemmed from a Sept. 13, 2023, confrontation outside Double D’s Pub in Columbus involving Howard’s sister, Taya Mollette, and Tavia Copley, who were both 24 at the time.
Police responded to the bar around 11:30 p.m. after a fight between Mollette and Copley escalated into gunfire. Investigators said Howard, who was 19 at the time, intervened while the two women were fighting. Prosecutors later said he yelled for Copley to get off his sister before firing. Both women were struck, along with another man, Daniel Brumfield.
Copley was pronounced dead at the scene, while Mollette and Brumfield were taken to a hospital. Mollette later died from her injuries. Brumfield survived. Court testimony cited in local reporting said surveillance video captured key parts of the confrontation and became important evidence as the criminal case moved forward.
During pretrial proceedings in 2023, Columbus police Detective Arthur Hughes testified about what investigators said the surveillance video showed. According to a written court order reported by WSYX, Howard fired during the fight, striking both women. Hughes testified that Howard later approached Copley again and fired another shot. Judge Stephen McIntosh cited the evidence when he denied Howard bond at the time.
Prosecutors also alleged that Howard interfered with efforts to call for emergency help and took a witness’s cellphone before leaving the area. Those allegations became part of the broader criminal case against him. A grand jury initially indicted Howard on charges that included aggravated murder, several murder counts, attempted murder, felonious assault, aggravated robbery and tampering with evidence.
Howard left Ohio after the shooting and was arrested Sept. 25, 2023, near St. Petersburg, Florida, by the U.S. Marshals Service. He was returned to Ohio, where the case continued through pretrial proceedings and eventually went to trial. Earlier reporting showed that Howard initially pleaded not guilty to the charges and challenged the decision to hold him without bond.
Following the July 2026 trial, the jury convicted Howard on multiple counts. Law&Crime, citing court records, reported that the sentence included 30 years to life for the aggravated murder of Copley and 15 years to life for Mollette’s murder. He also received prison terms for the assault of Brumfield, aggravated robbery and tampering with evidence, along with additional time tied to firearm specifications.
The Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office said the combined sentence means Howard could become eligible for parole after serving 49 years. Parole eligibility does not guarantee release; it allows a person to be considered for release after serving the required portion of a sentence.
The sentencing closes the trial-level phase of a case that began almost three years earlier with a fight outside the south Columbus pub and ended with two women dead. Howard remains under a life sentence following the jury’s verdict, while the convictions and sentence are now part of the court record.
Author note: Last updated August 13, 2026.