Attorneys for convicted Ohio police officer accuse prosecutors of hiding evidence, allege 'cover-up'

COLUMBUS, OH - A former Columbus Police Officer’s legal team has asked a Franklin County pleas judge to allow the examination of several emails between County prosecutors to determine if they withheld information on an expert witness who did not testify at the officer’s trial.

Former officer Adam Coy was convicted of murder, felonious assault, and reckless homicide in the officer-involved shooting death of an unarmed suspect, 47-year-old Andre Hill, in November 2024.

Coy, the first law enforcement officer in Franklin County to be convicted in an on-duty shooting, has been held since his conviction in November and has not been sentenced yet according to the Columbus Dispatch. He faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Immediately after the jury reached a verdict, the defense team representing Coy, including attorneys Mark Collins and Kaitlyn Stevens, challenged prosecutors for failing to disclose potentially exculpatory evidence.

Collins and Stevens have accused former Deputy Chief Counsel Anthony Pierson of suppressing testimony from a use-of-force expert consulted by the state who told prosecutors that Coy’s shooting of Hill was justified.

Pierson allegedly spoke to the expert and decided against using him, but did not disclose the content of his testimony to the defense. The now-retired Deputy Chief Counsel has denied any wrongdoing in his legal response.

Judge McIntosh heard arguments Monday on whether or not subpoenas filed by the prosecutor should be allowed to be examined by the defense team. The prosecution has claimed that the records represent work products and are protected by attorney-client privilege. Coy’s attorneys maintain that had they known about the use-of-force expert’s testimony the would have called him to testify on behalf of their client to challenge the prosecution’s case.

Stephens accused the prosecutors, Pierson and Renee Amlin, of engaging in a coverup by telling the court, “Mr. Pierson and Ms. Amlin, especially in her new role that is supposed to see high-profile, high-stake cases be treated with integrity. They are both material witnesses in this cover-up.”

“The state of Ohio withheld an expert who provided them an opinion that supported the defense's theory and it would have changed our entire strategy for not only attacking the state's case but also the manner in which we presented our defense,” he argued according to WBNS.

Multiple sources throughout the trial reported that on Dec. 20, 2020, Coy responded to a non-emergency call of a vehicle running on and off for approximately three hours. The driver of the vehicle, now known to be Hill, showed the officer his cell phone and told Coy that he was waiting for someone. The officer then observed him walking to the door of a home and knocking with no answer. Coy then saw him return to the vehicle, search for something inside, and return to the door.

A second officer arrived and Coy told the court he advised her that something seemed off about the situation. Both officers then began to walk up the home’s driveway toward an open garage door.

Bodycam footage showed Hill emerging from the open, but dark garage in response to verbal commands from Coy holding a lit cell phone in one hand. Coy can then be heard to yell, “Gun, gun, he has a gun,” before unholstering his weapon and firing on Hill four times, per the Dispatch. The officer testified that he saw a silver metallic object in Hill’s right hand, which was later revealed to be his key ring. The incident took just a matter of seconds.