LANCASTER, Ohio — A central Ohio man whose single punch knocked a neighbor off a bicycle and killed him has been sentenced to three years in prison.
The judge in Lancaster sentenced 22-year-old Travis Burnett to the maximum sentence after a jury last month convicted him of reckless homicide and misdemeanor assault instead of murder.
Prosecutors say Burnett exchanged words with 51-year-old Steven Reid last Aug. 19 at their apartment complex. Reid, who had been drinking heavily, rode off on a bicycle. Burnett ran after Reid and punched him, causing him to fall and hit his head on a curb. Reid died at a hospital the next day.
Burnett was charged with murder, but the jury convicted him of the lesser offense. He was sentenced Monday.
