Columbus Teen Sentenced in Shooting of Ohio State Star Wrestler

Posted on 4/11/2025

Defendant: Elijah Lee

A Columbus teen who admitted to shooting an Ohio State University All-American wrestler was sentenced today to 10 to 14 1/2 years in prison.
 
Elijah Lee, who turned 18 in December, pleaded guilty on Feb. 6 to Felonious Assault with a 3-Year Firearm Specification. He has already served 592 days in jail for the 2023 shooting of Sammy Sasso, who was 23 at the time.
 
Case Background
 
Shortly after 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 18, 2023, Columbus Police were called to the 1400 block of North High Street on the report of a shooting. There, they found Sasso in an alley suffering from a gunshot wound to the abdomen. 
 
An investigation revealed that Sasso, a four-time All-American and a two-time Big Ten champion wrestler, was driving his Chevrolet Malibu through the alley when he stopped to talk to some children. Two teens, including Lee, who was 16 at the time and had a lengthy juvenile criminal record, approached Sasso. A confrontation ensued.
 
Lee pulled a gun on Sasso, forced him out of the car, and shot him once in the abdomen. Lee and the other teen then got into the Malibu and drove off. The vehicle was located two days later near Sunbury Road and Easton Way.
 
Lee was arrested on Aug. 28, 2023.
 
Sasso endured multiple surgeries to remove the bullet near his spine and reconstruct his colon. He spent 41 days in the hospital and completed months of physical therapy before he was able to wrestle again, though his return to the mat was short-lived. He retired from wrestling in February 2025, noting that despite his rehabilitation work, he could no longer compete at his previous level.