Murder suspect who killed man found in car on I-71 pleads guilty, sentenced immediately
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A man charged with murdering a person whose body was found on a Columbus interstate pleaded guilty to a lesser charge Tuesday and was sentenced immediately.
A Franklin County Court of Common Pleas judge issued a sentence of 14 years to 19.5 years in prison to Michael Thilat, 31, who pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter when he shot and killed a man during a drug deal.
Thilat was accused of killing Anthony Luney, 56, on May 14, 2022. Luney was found slumped over the steering wheel of his Mini Cooper on Interstate 71 near Morse Road in Columbus.
Court records stated that a Mini Cooper traveling northbound at approximately 60 mph was “bouncing off the center median wall.” Officers found Luney inside the stopped vehicle, south of State Route 161, with a gunshot wound to the torso. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police arrested Thilat for unrelated felony warrants, and while detectives questioned him, he reportedly admitted to shooting Luney during a drug deal, which turned into an altercation at a convenience store in the 3300 block of Maize Road. He was indicted on charges of murder and tampering with evidence in Franklin County Municipal Court.
In January, Thilat’s lawyers filed a notice of evidence that he shot Luney in self-defense, and on Thursday, prosecuting attorneys accepted a plea of guilty for involuntary manslaughter with a three-year firearm specification.
Judge Carl Aveni immediately sentenced Thilat to the maximum definite term, with Thilat having already served over 600 days.