Lonnell Anderson's attorney said Anderson's mental illness led to the Roselawn killing and that he was not motivated by race.
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CRIME
After her father was murdered in Roselawn bar, girl asked 'Jesus to bring her daddy back'
Kevin Grasha
Cincinnati Enquirer
When Lonnell Anderson went to a crowded Roselawn bar last year and killed a man he had never met, he was experiencing a psychotic episode, according to his attorneys.
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That same morning, a Friday, Anderson's mother called a mental health crisis unit because he had threatened to kill a woman and her 10-year-old daughter. An employee at the unit called 911, his attorneys said
Anderson, who is 49, has schizophrenia and bipolar disorder but had stopped taking his medication, believing that he could overcome his mental illness with willpower. His mother intended to go to court the following Monday to ask a judge to commit him to a hospital.
But Anderson needed immediate help.
Later on Oct. 8, 2021, Anderson, who is Black, ended up at Brandy's Lounge. He walked up behind Derek Smith, one of the few white people there, and shot him in the head. He later told police he had disdain for white people. The gun had been stolen, court documents say, and Anderson wasn't even allowed to possess a gun because of his criminal record.
Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Chris Wagner sentenced Anderson, who pleaded guilty to aggravated murder, to 28 years to life in prison. Prosecutors had sought a sentence of life without the possibility of parole. Anderson won't be eligible for parole until he serves 28 years.
Family 'left with emptiness'
At Monday's sentencing, Smith's mother, Jodie Montgomery, said he was her only child. The day he was killed, Montgomery said, "my life ended, as well."
"Our family is left with emptiness that will never be filled," she said. She described how Smith's 7-year-old daughter asks "Jesus to bring her daddy back…because she's not done with him, yet."
Montgomery also said she believes her son was targeted because of his skin color.
"Mental illness is not an excuse for murder," she said.
One of Anderson's attorneys, James Bogen, said Anderson hadn't taken his medication for several years. But after receiving regular medication for about six months, Anderson improved significantly. Anderson went from spreading feces on his jail cell walls to being polite and cooperative, Bogen said.
Rambling interview with detective
During an hourlong interview with a Cincinnati police detective three days after the killing, Smith gave a rambling statement, filled with disjointed thoughts and bizarre statements, including that cancer doesn't exist and that the hoodie he was wearing contained real diamonds.
Anderson told Detective Marcus McNeil:
“I don’t like white people” and “(expletive) white people.”
He talked about getting revenge for Sam DuBose, a Black man who in 2015 was fatally shot by a white University of Cincinnati police officer. Anderson, who called DuBose his friend, said he wanted to shoot the officer’s “head off.”
“When I see you Ray Tensing,” he said, referring to the now-former officer who fatally shot DuBose. “I’m gonna put a hole in your head. Facts.”
“You got a lot of revenge in you, huh?” McNeil asked.
“Yes, sir,” Anderson responded.
Anderson didn’t know Smith, and it’s not believed they interacted at the bar. During the interview, McNeil tried to get Anderson to explain himself.
He also told McNeil that he had stopped taking medication because "there’s nothing wrong with me."
A few times, he expressed disdain for white people.
Among his comments: “They call you nigger behind your back” and “they drink goat milk with piss in it, egg nog with dirt in it.”
In denial
Anderson was in denial about his actions until he saw the surveillance video of the shooting.
"He was very sick and disgusted with what he had done," Bogen told Wagner.
Anderson underwent two separate evaluations before being deemed mentally competent to stand trial, meaning he understood the nature of the charges and could assist in his own defense. He also underwent additional tests to determine if he could plead not guilty by reason of insanity. It was determined he could not.
The Enquirer obtained video of Anderson's police interview after questions were raised about his motivations.
Anderson shot Smith twice in the head as he sat at a patio table with a friend, then ran from the scene. According to Bogen, that indicated he knew the wrongfulness of his actions.
Bogen said Anderson has been receiving treatment and taking his medication and is not the same person he was the night of the shooting.
"He has no memory of the shooting," Bogen said. "He doesn't even have a memory of the police interview."
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