Woman Stabbed BestFriend in Neck after Violent Argument; Only Gets 3 Years in Jail after Guilty Plea in Ohio

Emotions ran high during a highly charged sentencing hearing as a woman who took the life of a 17-year-old girl was given a three-year sentence, with the chance of early release, on Thursday morning.

The punishment given to 20-year-old Bryanna Barozzini, who admitted guilt to one charge of involuntary manslaughter, has left family members of the deceased, Halia Culbertson, feeling that it is not proportional to the crime. However, according to the law in Ohio, the maximum sentence of 36 months in prison was the most that could be given after the court approved a plea deal.

According to her friend MacKenzie Adrean, Halia never had the chance to celebrate another birthday, Christmas, or Thanksgiving, leaving her without any more holidays to look forward to. MacKenzie expressed her sorrow as she spoke, tears streaming down her face. However, the person responsible for Halia’s death was able to enjoy every holiday last year with their own family, while Halia’s family, unfortunately, will never have the opportunity to celebrate another one together. She will always be 17, and it remains etched in my memory.

During an altercation outside of a smoke shop in a far northeastern neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio, Barozzini swung a knife at the victim on the night of March 26, 2023. Halia was taken to a nearby hospital but unfortunately passed away from a single stab wound shortly afterwards.

The incident took place at 161 Carryout, a convenience store and tobacco shop. Witnesses and surveillance footage reveal that the altercation started indoors and later escalated in the parking lot.

The younger girl passed away at 12:24 a.m. the following day at the Ohio Health Riverside Medical Center. Barozzini was eventually discovered at her residence in the Columbus suburb of Westerville.

Originally accused of first-degree murder, prosecutors unexpectedly changed the charge to manslaughter in early June. The state had initially planned to proceed with a trial on a lesser homicide charge. However, they ultimately decided to accept an involuntary manslaughter plea just hours before the scheduled start of Barozzini’s trial.

“It feels like a betrayal of my daughter’s memory and the justice she was promised,” Culbertson’s mother, Haley Culbertson, said in comments. “She wished my daughter to hell. She was clearly mad. Swore on her whole family her intent, so how does she end up in the same place at the same time?”

The state appeared to be aware of a recent defense filing that portrays Halia as the instigator in the altercation.

In a sentencing memo, Barozzini’s attorney details his client’s attempts to withdraw from the situation for a considerable period, although without success.

The court filing obtained by the paper states that she waited for Bryanna to exit the store after being removed. She confronted Bryanna, engaging in aggressive behavior by threatening her, pushing her, and ultimately resorting to physical violence. Despite Bryanna’s repeated attempts to avoid confrontation, Ms. Culbertson persisted with her aggressive behavior.

Last month, prosecutors acknowledged that Halia had slapped Barozzini in the face at some point during the dispute. Afterwards, the blade was swung. It made contact with the victim’s neck. The defense argues that the girl, who tragically lost her life, persisted in attacking her assailant even after being stabbed, only realizing the severity of her injuries later.

Barozzini didn’t receive much sympathy on Thursday.

“Nothing has scarred me so badly as losing Halia,” the victim’s sister, Kaelyn Culbertson, told the court. “How can someone be so cruel? How can someone be so vicious? Someone who was supposed to be my sister’s best friend killed her and left her to bleed out.”

The woman on death row briefly spoke, conveying a sense of quiet understanding and sadness regarding the events that had transpired.

She expressed that she will carry this burden of guilt for the rest of her life.

Those apologies probably went unnoticed.

“If anyone ever asked me what kind of people or how I would describe the Barozzinis, I’d say I can’t trust them as far as I can throw them,” Adrean continued – through tears as the object of that disdain looked down at the floor. “I wish this wasn’t what I was doing – reading a statement … I wish I was reading a speech at her wedding, seeing her raise kids, get the nursing degree she always wanted, or even living and talking to her when we get old in a nursing home.”

Source: Law and Crime