T&A Crips member pleads guilty in 2012 death from rival Columbus gang

COLUMBUS (WCMH) — One of the 19 members of a Columbus gang facing federal charges in a racketeering conspiracy pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges of murder and shooting at a witness.

Jonathan Dantzler, 28, known as "Jesus" in the T&A Crips gang, admitted to murdering a rival gang member in 2012 and to shooting a potential witness, Acting U.S. Attorney Vipal Patel announced in a news release.

The gang was called T&A Crips since many of its members lived near Trevitt and Atcheson streets in Columbus' King-Lincoln District. The 19 members were indicted in 2018.

As part of his plea, Dantzler admitted to shooting Franky Tention on July 1, 2012, in the 400 block of Ellison Street. Court documents say Tention was a member of a rival gang, the Milo Bloods, and the two sides were in a dispute over territory.

Dantzler also discharged a firearm into the residence of a potential witness to intimidate her from cooperating with law enforcement.

The 19 members are also charged with four other murders from 2013 to '16.

As part of the plea, a 30-year sentence will be recommended for Dantzler, who is already serving multiple life sentences at the local level for separate murder convictions.