Teens face murder charges in connection with south Columbus deadly Kroger assault

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Detectives charged three teens with murder after a father of three was fatally beaten outside a Columbus supermarket.

UPDATE: 'They were laughing': Witnesses to deadly Kroger assault share tragic moments

Donnie Smith, 53, died Monday after he was attacked on Dec. 6 outside a Kroger Supermarket at The Great Southern Shopping Center on South High Street.

"Donnie was an amazing person," said Nicole Evans, as she described her partner of 20 years and the father of her 15-year-old son and six-year-old daughter. "He was a great father. He loved his kids. They were his world."

Two days later after his death, detectives announced murder charges filed against three teens.

RELATED | Father of 3 remembered after being beaten to death outside supermarket

Dionta Davon Hughes, 18; Jamarion Fredrae Evans-Bennett, 19; and a 17-year-old boy were charged with murder Wednesday and arrested by Columbus police the same day, investigators said.

Charging documents for the teens accuse them of waiting outside the store for Smith. He was unconscious and bleeding from the head from the beating.

A witness, according to the documents, told police the group was "laughing and enjoying themselves" while assaulting Smith.

In the initial police report, officers said,

"Three men engaged in an altercation with patrons inside the location. As a result, the suspects were asked to leave by security. Once outside, a physical altercation ensued between three males and the victim."

Smith was found a short time after by a store worker, brutally beaten near the pharmacy drive-thru.