Police: Ohio woman killed cousin in argument over inappropriate Easter dinner attire

Police: Ohio woman killed over Easter attire spat

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The family of a woman who was killed during a fight that police say started over a skimpy Easter outfit — jean shorts and a green T-shirt tied up around her midriff — said Tuesday her style was well-known among relatives.

Danielle Pickens often wore short skirts to the holiday gatherings hosted by her older second cousin, Evelyn Burgess, said Pickens’ sister, Ralinda Pickens, and uncle, Tico Pickens.

“The way she was dressed that day is the way she always dressed, and everybody knew that,” Tico Pickens, 33, told The Associated Press. “It wasn’t like she meant any harm toward nobody by doing it. It was just comfortable to her.”

Police say Burgess got into a fight with Danielle Pickens over her attire, then shot her outside Burgess’ house Sunday night. Pickens, 19, died at a hospital early the next day.

Burgess, 42, is charged with one count of murder. Franklin County Municipal Court Judge William Pollitt set Burgess’ bond at $500,000 during a court appearance Tuesday.

Burgess didn’t say anything at the hearing and doesn’t have a lawyer assigned to her yet.

At her house on Tuesday, her husband, Kevin Burgess, said his wife was doing all right, but he declined to comment further.

Danielle, who went by Danny, once dressed like a tomboy, then one day tried on a short skirt she liked and started dressing differently.

“The first time she put on a cute little skirt, I guessed she liked it and she dressed like that ever since,” said Ralinda Pickens, 20.

She says events escalated quickly at the Easter party at Burgess’ house on the north side of Columbus.

Evelyn Burgess was angry at Danielle over her outfit and accused her of flaunting her looks around other men at the party, including Burgess’ husband, Ralinda Pickens said.

A fight broke out with Evelyn Burgess and Danielle struggling with a baseball bat, then ended as Ralinda Pickens broke things up, got her sister outside and prepared to drive her home.

The sisters were in the car when Burgess came running up with a gun, reached inside the car, pulled Danielle by the hair and shot her as she tried to seek shelter under her older sister, Ralinda Pickens said.

Burgess then walked back inside her house, sat down on a couch, told people what had happened and waited for the police, Ralinda Pickens said.

“I never thought she would do something like that,” Ralinda Pickens said Tuesday of Burgess, crying softly as she sat on the porch of her house about a five-minute drive from where the shooting happened. “Whatever anger she had built up in her nobody actually knew.”

Evelyn Burgess had bought the gun from a local gun store about a year ago, Ralinda Pickens and Tico Pickens said.