Columbus Man Sentenced to Nearly 60 Years to Life in Prison for 2022 Double Homicide, Felonious Assault

Posted on 3/13/2025

Defendant: Christopher O. Smith

A Columbus man will spend at least the next six decades in prison for killing two people. Judge Chris M. Brown sentenced Christopher O. Smith to 59 years to life in prison for killing Amanda Perkins and Rodney Reavish, and assaulting his then-girlfriend Casey Johnson in July 2022.
 
Smith was convicted of Murder with a 3-year firearm specification, Aggravated Murder with a 3-year firearm specification, and Felonious Assault.

Background:
 
On July 14, 2022, at 10:56pm, Columbus Police responded to 595 Van Buren Drive following a report of a shooting. When officers arrived, they found Amanda Perkins and Rodney Reavish with gunshot wounds. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
 
Earlier that night, Christopher Smith had been arguing with his girlfriend, Casey Johnson. The argument became violent. Casey told police that Christopher dragged her into the woods and choked her until she passed out.
 
When she woke up, her friend Rodney Reavish and a few others including Amanda Perkins, were standing over her. She told them that Christopher had attacked her. One of the men, got angry and threatened to fight Smith, leading him to run away.
 
Later, Johnson and Reavish went to Christopher’s car to get her belongings. When they got there, the car window was smashed, and Smith’s gun was missing. Johnson believed Smith broke the window to get his gun because Rodney had taken his car keys.
 
Johnson and Reavish then sat outside the Van Buren Shelter. Reavish, worried that Smith would come back with the gun, called 911. While he was on the phone, a gunshot rang out—Christopher had just shot Amanda Perkins. Rodney told the dispatcher what was happening and described Smith.
 
A few moments later, Reavish saw Smith walking toward them with a gun and pleaded with him to put the gun down. Suddenly, a gunshot was heard on the call. Reavish shouted that he had been shot in the chest. Smith fired two more shots, killing him.
 
The entire incident was captured on the 911 call.
 
The next night, on July 15, 2022, at around 11 p.m., Columbus Police found and arrested Christopher Smith near Sullivant Avenue and S. Warren Avenue.
 
Jeffrey Zezech and Ryan Pfefferle were the prosecutors on this case.