Good Friday is here! Everything to know from what is the holy holiday to what's open, closed
PUBLIC SAFETY

Fatal Fishers fight erupted over girl, documents say

Justin L. Mack and Cara Anthony
Stabbing victim Connor J. Shockley (right), 18, poses with friend Kortland Townsend, 18. Shockley is alleged to have been stabbed and killed by Corbin M. Montgomery, 18.

Sunday's fatal stabbing in Fishers, the second homicide in the town's history, started as a fight between two teen boys over a girl.

That was revealed in court documents made public Tuesday.

Connor Shockley and Corbin Montgomery, both 18, had been feuding over Montgomery's girlfriend in the days leading up to a Sunday night gathering in the Harrison Green subdivision, according to court documents.

The night ended with Shockley fatally stabbed. Montgomery was charged in his death that Hamilton County officials have ruled a homicide.

He pleaded not guilty to murder during a hearing Tuesday afternoon and is being held without bail. An initial charge of involuntary manslaughter was dropped. His next court appearance is Sept. 5.

"It's just kind of sad that he didn't own up to it," Shockley's cousin Sam Bunes said of Montgomery's plea. "The whole situation is hard to deal with."

An autopsy revealed that Shockley was stabbed three times to the chest, including one wound that reached his heart. He also had superficial cuts to the neck and what appeared to be defensive wounds on his hands.

After the court proceeding, Montgomery's aunt, Mary Smith, expressed the pain that everyone connected to the incident is feeling.

"Two families are suffering," she said.

Fishers Police were called to the neighborhood about 11 p.m. Sunday when a neighbor heard people arguing outside of her home.

The neighbor went outside and found Shockley covered in blood and lying in the yard between two homes in the 8900 block of Wooster Court, according to the court documents.

Witness Wesley Jackson told police that Shockley left his home to meet with Montgomery and his girlfriend, who were parked on the street.

There was a brief argument and Jackson asked them to leave. At that point, the three teens drove away in Montgomery's car.

According to the court records, Jackson told police that 15 to 30 minutes later, he heard yelling coming from the house behind his. He went outside and saw Shockley and Montgomery fighting in a nearby yard.

The brawl ended with Shockley lying face down on the ground and grabbing at his chest, according to the documents. Jackson also said that he saw Montgomery and his girlfriend get into a car and drive away.

"He was just laying there lifeless," said friend Kortland Townsend, an 18-year-old Fishers High School graduate who was at the gathering at Jackson's home with five or eight other friends. "It still haunts me."

Montgomery was taken into custody when he returned to Wooster Court, police said. He told investigators that he and Shockley had been arguing over his girlfriend via text, Twitter and FaceTime for the past three days.

Montgomery told investigators that when he drove to Jackson's home to meet with Shockley, there was no hostility. Montgomery allowed Shockley to get into his car, and they began to talk.

At one point, Shockley asked to use Montgomery's cell phone, according to the documents. He then asked Montgomery to pull his vehicle around the corner to a nearby cul-de-sac, which he did.

Montgomery told police that as they continued to talk, Shockley quickly got out of the car and ran off with the cell phone. That's when Montgomery grabbed his knife from his vehicle and chased after Shockley.

According to the court document, when Montgomery caught up, Shockley punched him in the face. Montgomery responded by stabbing him multiple times with the knife.

Montgomery told police that he stabbed Shockley in self-defense. He added that Shockley hit him several times after he was stabbed, but slowly stopped throwing punches before he fell to the ground.

Authorities suspect the exchange lasted only 15 seconds.

Montgomery then called his father and decided to return to the scene, according to the documents. He described his knife as a camouflage-colored weapon with a 4- to 5-inch blade.

He told investigators that he bought the knife a week ago and that he keeps it in his car for protection. Police recovered the knife. Blood also was found inside the car.

Montgomery told police that he was "cool" with Shockley in the car and that all of his "steam and anger" had gone away. He said his rage returned when Shockley ran off with his phone.

Star reporter Summer Ballentine contributed to this article. Call Star reporter Justin L. Mack at (317) 444-6138. Follow him on Twitter: @justinlmack.