‘Whole world shattered’: Local mom speaks after son killed in OVI crash; former Buckeye charged
DUBLIN, Ohio – The world of a Pennsylvania mother has been irrevocably shattered after her only child was killed in a suspected OVI crash in Dublin this past weekend. The man now facing charges is a former Ohio State football standout, a fact the grieving mother says means nothing in the face of her devastating loss.
“The whole world shattered,” Roslyn Perry told reporters, her voice thick with a pain that no parent should ever know. “My son was the best thing I have ever done in my life. The absolute best.”
Her 24-year-old son, Ethan Perry, was killed in the early morning hours of Saturday, June 21, 2025, when his Lexus was struck by a pickup truck allegedly driven at a high rate of speed by 40-year-old Kirk Barton. Authorities have charged Barton, a former Ohio State offensive lineman, with aggravated vehicular homicide.
For Roslyn Perry, the athletic accolades of the man accused of taking her son’s life are a bitter pill to swallow. “The fact that the stories lead with former Ohio State standout, I don’t care about that,” she stated, her grief laced with anger. “The bottom line is you took my one and only child from me.”
The crash occurred on U.S. Route 33 in Dublin. According to court records, Barton was allegedly driving his Ford F-150 Raptor pickup truck the wrong way before correcting and continuing at an excessive speed. He then collided with Ethan Perry’s vehicle. Ethan was pronounced dead at the scene.
Barton, who has a history of OVI-related arrests, was given a $500,000 bond, a decision that has outraged Ethan’s mother. “This is a level of privilege that, even if my son was alive, he would have never have had,” she said. “The fact that there are multiple offenses that are associated with this individual, it’s not fair.”
Ethan Perry is being remembered as a vibrant young man with a passion for cars and a deep love for his community in Columbus, where he chose to stay after his mother relocated to Pennsylvania for work. Friends and loved ones gathered for a vigil at the crash site, sharing stories of a man they described as an “old soul” who was a “bright light in this world.”
“Basically, for all his life, it’s been he and I,” Roslyn Perry shared. She finds a sliver of comfort in the outpouring of support from her son’s friends. “When people began calling and texting and reaching out, it made me feel like, OK, he did make the right decision. I see why I didn’t have to worry. He was in good hands with the people who embraced him in Columbus.”1
As a mother prepares to lay her only child to rest, she is left with memories and a burning desire for accountability. “My baby was the best thing I had ever done on this earth,” she reiterated. “And for somebody to just take his life because they can’t put down a drink of alcohol, it’s just not fair.”
