Bryanna Barozzini, then 18, fatally stabbed 17-year-old Halia Culbertson outside a convenience store.
What started as a confrontation between two young women escalated into a crime that shocked the community and left a family grieving.
Let's get into the details
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| Halia Culbertson |
The Night of the Incident
On March 26, 2023, Bryanna Barozzini and Halia Culbertson crossed paths at a convenience store in Northland, Ohio.
According to police reports, the two young ladies were former best friends.
However, they had a recent fallout before that night, and tensions were already high.
According to Independent News, Barozzini walked into the store without knowing that Culbertson was there.
When they saw each other, an argument started almost immediately.
Surveillance footage from the store showed the argument getting heated.
An employee later stepped in and asked Culbertson to leave the store, which she did.
However, she didn't go home; instead, she stayed outside and waited for Barozzini.
When Barozzini left the store with a man, Culbertson approached her in the parking lot.
Witnesses said Culbertson threatened, pushed, and then hit Barozzini.
Barozzini reportedly tried to avoid the fight, as reported by Dispatch News
She backed away multiple times, telling Culbertson she didn’t want to fight.
But the situation kept escalating as seen in this video by Law&Crime
At one point, Barozzini pulled out a knife she had in her pocket and swung it once, hitting Culbertson in the chest.
Culbertson didn’t realize she had been stabbed immediately
It was until she saw blood on her chest after the fight that she realized she had been stabbed.
Culbertson was later rushed to the hospital where she died from her injuries.
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| Bryanna Barozzini |
The Legal Battle and Plea Deal
After the Culbertson died, Bryanna Barozzini was arrested and charged with murder.
During the trial, Barozzini’s defense attorney, Robert Krapenc, argued that she acted in self-defense.
He presented evidence, including a video recorded by a bystander.
It showed Barozzini trying to back away from Culbertson multiple times during the fight.
Krapenc claimed that Culbertson was the aggressor, confronting, threatening, and hitting Barozzini even as she tried to avoid the confrontation.
The prosecution, however, saw it differently.
Assistant Franklin County Prosecutor Trent Grohe called the stabbing an act of “unjustifiable rage.”
He argued that while Culbertson’s actions were aggressive, they didn’t justify Barozzini using a knife.
Grohe described the stabbing as a “disproportionate response to a slap” and pushed for a harsher punishment.
In June 2023, Barozzini accepted a plea deal.
She pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter which is a lesser charge than murder.
This plea deal meant she would face a punishment which is significantly less than the potential sentence for murder.
On July 11, 2023, Franklin County Judge Mark Serrott sentenced Barozzini to up to three years in prison.
During the sentencing hearing, Culbertson’s family expressed their pain and frustration.
Haley Culbertson, Halia’s mother, felt the sentence was too light, calling it a “betrayal of my daughter’s memory and the justice she was promised.”
Barozzini also spoke briefly at the hearing, saying, “I will be living with this guilt the rest of my life.”
Judge Serrott noted that Barozzini could apply for early release, and he would consider it when the time came.
The plea deal ended the legal battle, but it left many questions about justice and accountability.
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