Joseph Bythewood, a 59-year-old musician and producer from Columbus, Ohio known as JB Money, died on September 10, 2015. The killing involved his son, Joseph T. Shine-Johnson, then 28, who was charged with his murder. Shine-Johnson told police the confrontation began over money he had loaned his father; he said Bythewood pulled a knife and pointed a shotgun at him, so Shine-Johnson retrieved another shotgun from the basement and shot his father from the backyard while Bythewood stood in a kitchen doorway.

At trial Shine-Johnson claimed self-defense but a jury rejected that claim, convicting him of murder and tampering with evidence. He was sentenced to 19 years plus four years for using a firearm. Testimony included conflicting accounts: Bythewood’s live-in girlfriend, Maureen Quinn, said Bythewood was unarmed when he pushed his son into the backyard and that the household knew the shotgun was inoperable; other witnesses described a history of aggressive behavior by Bythewood.

Anyone who knew Joseph Bythewood or the family and has information about the events leading up to his death is asked to come forward.