A prostitution bust turned deadly when an undercover officer failed to produce his badge on August 23, 2018.
Now, former Columbus vice officer Andrew Mitchell is headed back to court for a retrial on voluntary manslaughter and murder charges.
Donna Dalton Castleberry was just 23 years old when she was shot and killed during an altercation in the back of the defendant’s cop car.
Mitchell, 59, was wearing civilian clothing when he picked up the victim and drove to an apartment building in Franklinton where he parked his vehicle, hugging the passenger door to the wall.
The incident was recorded on Mitchell’s cellphone per protocol where Castleberry can be seen in disbelief as the officer attempted to prove his identity through some police paperwork. Castleberry did not believe that Mitchell was an undercover officer — Mitchell did not have his badge or radio during the encounter.
Andrew Mitchell
Castleberry then told Mitchell about a rumor she heard regarding a man raping sex workers. Soon after the pair began fighting in the front seats of the car. The victim stabbed Mitchell in the hand before climbing into the backseat and yelling for help.
Six shots were fired from the police weapon after that, three of them striking Castleberry.
According to his testimony from the first trial, Michell did not call 911 but texted a fellow vice officer for backup.
Castleberry was pronounced dead in OhioHealth Grant Medical Center later that day and Mitchell received 34 stitches and a blood transfusion.
In the first trial, where Mitchell testified in his own defense, the jury deliberated for over 18 hours before ending in a deadlock. A mistrial was declared on April 15, 2022.
Mitchell also faces federal charges for kidnapping sex workers and forcing them to perform sex acts in return for their freedom. These charges were not presented in the first trial and are not expected to be brought into this trial.
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