Judge Michael Holbrook had warned Jibril Kim.
So had his attorney.
But Kim, 29, decided to testify in his own defense on May 20 in Franklin County Common Pleas Court.
Kim was charged with aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault, carrying a concealed weapon and having weapons under disability in connection with the Oct. 8, 2023, shooting death of Rhys Jones, 42. The shooting occurred at the old Greyhound bus station located at 845 N. Wilson Road on the West Side.
On May 22, a jury found Kim guilty of murder and felonious assault but not guilty of aggravated murder. Holbrook found Kim guilty of carrying a concealed weapon and having a weapon under disability.
After Kim’s testimony, which involved him trying to tell a story and without significant questioning by his own attorney or prosecutors, Holbrook was blunt.
“That didn’t go well for you,” Holbrook said.
As Holbrook addressed Kim, he said he found Kim in contempt of court after Kim, repeatedly and after having been told by both Holbrook and his attorney, talked about his mental health.
Kim was evaluated before trial to determine his competency to stand trial and whether his mental state at the time he fatally shot Jones qualified Kim to argue he was not guilty by reason of insanity. Those evaluations determined Kim did not meet the legal thresholds, and those evaluations were not permitted to be part of the trial evidence.
Multiple times during his testimony, Kim talked about hearing voices, having a mental breakdown and not remembering what happened.
“I warned you,” Holbrook said.
“So did I, your honor,” Kim’s attorney, Mark Collins, said.
Kim is already being held in jail in lieu of a $2 million bond. After his murder case concludes, Holbrook will appoint Kim a new attorney to handle the contempt proceedings.
Contempt of court is a misdemeanor with a potential punishment for a first offense of up to a $250 fine and 30 days in jail.
Video from the shooting at the Greyhound station showed Kim walking up outside the station to Jones, who he did not know, shooting him multiple times, going inside the station and then coming back outside. Kim fired more shots at Jones, until his handgun was empty, despite Jones already being incapacitated on the ground.
Evidence at Kim’s trial showed Kim fired 13 rounds, 12 of which struck Jones. The entire shooting took place in less than 30 seconds.
Kim attempted to run away from the area and get in a car, he testified, but then said a voice told him to go back to the bus station. He did and was detained by security guards until police arrived.
The Greyhound station, which had relocated to the Wilson Road location about four months earlier, had been the subject of numerous complaints and concerns from area residents. Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein had filed a lawsuit asking for the station to be shut down and the lawsuit was pending at the time of the shooting.
The Wilson Road station shut down in May 2024. A new Greyhound location opened in 2025 on East Mound Street.
Kim will be sentenced on June 29. He faces a minimum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for 21 years.
Reporter Bethany Bruner can be reached at bbruner@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Missouri man convicted in fatal shooting at West Side Greyhound station
Reporting by Bethany Bruner, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
