Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office secures guilty verdict in 2022 murder case

Posted on 11/21/2023

Defendant: Johnnie Wappner

On Nov. 17, the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office secured three guilty verdicts against Johnnie Wappner, 33, for the 2022 murder of Marcus Deloney, 32. A jury found Wappner, of Columbus, guilty of murder, reckless homicide and felonious assault, all with three-year firearm specifications.

Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys Lindsay Potter and Kevin Bertelsen prosecuted the case for the prosecutor’s office.

On Sept. 21, 2022, during a fight over a parking space at a duplex on Columbus’ north side, Wappner hit Deloney on the head multiple times with a firearm, then shot him in the back. Officers discovered Deloney dead when they arrived on the scene six minutes later.

Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Judge Mark Serrott, who presided over the five-day trial, will sentence Wappner on Nov. 29. Wappner faces 21 years to life in prison.