COLUMBUS (AP) — A former Columbus vice squad officer pleaded not guilty to charges accusing him of fatally shooting a woman sitting in his unmarked police vehicle.
The officer is being held without bond after appearing in court Friday.
Columbus police say officer Andrew Mitchell shot and killed 23-year-old Donna Castleberry in August after she stabbed him in the hand during an undercover prostitution investigation.
A grand jury on Thursday charged Mitchell with murder and voluntary manslaughter.
Mitchell’s attorney says the burden on prosecutors is to prove Mitchell wasn’t acting in self-defense and that there’s no dispute that he was stabbed first.
Mitchell is also facing federal charges on allegations he forced women to have sex with him under threat of an arrest. He has pleaded not guilty.