From arson to drug robberies, teens are killing and being killed in Indianapolis

IndyStar

Dijon Anderson, a talented football player at Warren Central, lost his life to gun violence. This portrait was taken Aug. 10, 2016.

Indianapolis residents hoping for a return to calm following a bloody October were greeted by five criminal homicides to start November, with the alarming reality that teenagers are often at the center of the violence.

The surge in killings — amounting to 19 dead since the start of October — is pushing Indianapolis toward another record year for criminal homicides. As of Wednesday afternoon, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police detectives have investigated 126 cases, two ahead of this time last year.

Young people are increasingly affected. The violence has emerged in drug robberies and arson fires, in park stabbings and back alley gunfire.

All told, 15 people ages 18 and younger have been killed so far this year compared with 14 for all of last year.

And IMPD has arrested at least 17 murder suspects in that age bracket this year, according to an IndyStar analysis of crime records. That amount is more than double the number of all of last year.

The surge appears to be a return to the level of youth violence in 2015, when at least 24 youth were arrested in connection to criminal homicides and an additional 19 — including 11-year-old Deshaun Swanson — were killed.

"Our young people are dying every day," said the Rev. Charles Harrison, leader of the anti-crime group Indianapolis Ten Point Coalition. "Every day, young people are dying in numbers. Unacceptable."

A lack of witness cooperation, usually driven by fear, is hampering investigations. Only 40 percent of the youth killings have resulted in arrests so far this year.

Parents have told their children not to talk to police in some cases, IMPD Maj. Craig McCartt said.

"These are young kids still in school. Murders of juveniles should outrage the community," said McCartt, who works in investigations. "Even in those, it's not enough to get the community to cooperate."

More:His Warren Central teammate was killed on Indy's streets; now he's rallying youth to stop the violence

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TWO TEENS ARRESTED AFTER DRUG ROBBERY

The most recent arrest occurred over the weekend, when police picked up 17-year-old Toney Hodges in connection with the death of 28-year-old John Beasley Jr.

A 15-year-old also was arrested. His case is being handled in juvenile court, according to a Marion County prosecutor's office spokesman.

Hodges, meanwhile, was handed murder, robbery and handgun charges on Tuesday.

Police were called around 6 p.m. on Oct. 16 to the 3500 block of Star Magnolia Place on the north-east side, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in the case.

A man, later identified as Beasley, was found sitting in the driver's seat of a 2003 Honda Accord.

He had been shot four times, records say. Medics pronounced him dead at the scene.

Toney Hodges, 17, was arrested in connection with the death of John Beasley Jr.

A witness told police that she saw two teenagers rush toward Beasley's car. Then she heard gunshots. The teenagers left temporarily before returning while wearing different clothes.

In an interview with detectives, Hodges said he and the 15-year-old were selling a pair of shoes through an advertisement on a phone app and they planned to rob whomever responded to their ad.

The plan, Hodges said, was for Hodges to take the victim's money while the 15-year-old held a gun on the victim.

Hodges entered the car's front passenger door while the 15-year-old entered the back seat, according to court records. Then the 15-year-old shot the victim, Hodges told police, so they ran away.

In his interview with police, the 15-year-old said he and Hodges told the victim they would trade shoes for marijuana, according to court records.

As the victim weighed marijuana on a scale, according to records, the 15-year-old grabbed the marijuana and said, "This is mine."

Then he and the victim struggled for the gun and a round went off, the 15-year-old told police. Then he shot him three more times before running away.

They returned to the car later to take the victim's money, according to court records, but Beasley wasn't yet dead, so they left.

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TEENAGE RELATIVE ARRESTED IN ARSON CASE

The day before Hodges' arrest, in a separate case, detectives interviewed 16-year-old Jordan Marin-Doan in connection with the death of his adoptive father, 45-year-old Jason Doan.

Around 11 p.m. Nov. 2, police were called to the 7200 block of Highland Road on the north-west side.

An unresponsive man, later identified as Jason Doan, had been found inside the burning house. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition, but he died the next day.

An IMPD arson detective discovered an accelerant on carpet near the home's stairs, according to court records, where the fire likely started. The detective also found two bottles containing a fuel-oil mixture.

Jordan Marin-Doan, 16, was arrested in connection with the death of Jason Doan.

In an interview, a witness told police that Jordan Marin-Doan had been threatening to kill everyone in the house, including Jason Doan.

The witness and Jason Doan were asleep in bed when they were awoken by an alarm in the house, according to court records. They then saw a fire blocking the way out through the stairs.

The witness and two children were able to escape through an upstairs window thanks to Jason Doan's help, the witness told police.

Jordan Marin-Doan was later found in Decatur, Ind., according to court records.

He told police that he poured weedeater gas on the stairs to start a fire, according to records. He then drove away.

It wasn't clear in court records why he would start a fire.

HOW DOES A JUVENILE GET CHARGED IN ADULT COURT?

Indiana laws outline when a teenager may be charged in adult court or in juvenile court.

In short, the age of the suspect and the type of crime will affect where a case lands.

If a suspect is 16 or older during the alleged commission of most violent crimes, the suspect may be charged in an adult court. Those violent crimes include murder, rape and some robberies, among a few others.

Suspects who are 12 to 15 may not be charged as adults unless their cases are waived by a juvenile court at the request of a prosecutor.

That's what happened with the case of Jaylen Thomas, who was charged in connection with the Feb. 2 shooting of 20-year-old Jacob Arnett.

Thomas, now 16, was 15 at the time of the slaying. He is accused of shooting Arnett during a drug robbery.

His co-defendant, Ahmond Hubbard, was 16 at the time of the shooting and was directly charged in adult court.

UNSOLVED CASES

Youth killings and arrests in Indianapolis are rising with the overall homicides, which is more than 50 percent higher compared with 2012.

The number of criminal homicides has grown every year since 2012, breaking new records in 2015 and 2016.

The city's homicides are largely driven by street gangs and the drug trade, which account for as much as 85 percent of all killings, IMPD Detective Robert Flack told IndyStar in September.

“It’s usually someone owes somebody some money for drugs, or someone rips somebody else off for money owed for drugs, or somebody wants to take over someone’s territory or turf,” Flack said.

The result is an arrest rate near 40 percent over the past two years — which keeps most killers on the streets.

The arrest rate is similar for homicides involving youth this year. Of the 15 cases, only six have resulted in arrests so far, according to an IndyStar analysis.

The problem is driven by witnesses who won't cooperate with police or prosecutors, largely because they fear they will become the next victims if their names appear in an affidavit.

That crippling fear played out in mid-September, when 13-year-old Matthew McGee was gunned down outside a Castleton-area restaurant's parking lot.

Matthew, an eighth-grader at Belzer Middle School, was killed after a dispute at the nearby AMC movie theater on a Saturday night.

Police believe two loosely formed street gangs — one on the north side, the other on the east side — were behind the dispute.

At least 10 other young people were present for Matthew's death, police said, but their parents refused to let them talk to police.

"Those with information who are not sharing with us should be ashamed of themselves," said Chris Bailey, IMPD's deputy chief of investigations, at the time.

So far, Matthew's case remains unsolved.

Call IndyStar reporter Ryan Martin at (317) 444-6294. Follow him on Facebook and on Twitter: @ryanmartin.