Latest news with #MadisonCountyProsecutor'sOffice
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
Boards murder trial moved to Anderson City Court
ANDERSON — The trial of the man charged with the 2022 shooting death of Elwood police officer Noah Shahnavaz will be moved to Anderson City Court. Carl Roy Webb Boards II is scheduled to go on trial in January on charges including murder. He faces a possible death sentence. After initially denying a request from the Madison County Prosecutor's Office, Madison Circuit Court Division 3 Judge Andrew Hopper decided Friday to move the trial to city court. In the motion, Chief Deputy Prosecutor Andrew Hanna noted the trial could take from three to six weeks. The motion states that Anderson City Court seats about 120, compared to 38 in the circuit courtroom, and notes that city court has three secure holding cells, compared to none in the courthouse. Hanna said city court could accommodate the legals staffs involved in the case and provide additional room for court proceedings. He believes that more than two alternates will be selected for the trial. The jury box of Circuit Court can seat only 14, while the city court jury box could be arranged for more than 14 people, he said. Boards was moved in April from the Miami County Correctional Facility to the more secure Westville Correctional Facility after, reportedly, stabbing a prison guard. No charges had been filed in Miami County as of Monday. Anderson City Court Judge Jason Jamerson said Monday that discussions about moving the trial from the Madison County Government Center had been ongoing. 'I'm willing to do what I can to help,' Jamerson said. 'For security purposes, the city court is a better place to have the trial.' Jamerson said details on how city court will operate during the Boards trial remain to be finalized. 'We will still have the essential services. I will work with county officials. There are hearing rooms available at the courthouse. There are a lot of reasons it makes sense,' Jamerson said of moving the Boards trial. Jury selection from Delaware County is scheduled to start Jan. 12, 2026, and the trial is set to continue Jan. 26, 2026. Boards is charged with murder in the July 31, 2022, fatal shooting of Shahnavaz. According to police, just after 2 o'clock that morning, Shahnavaz stopped a 2012 Buick LaCrosse near Indiana 37 and County Road 1100 North, and Boards, who had been driving the car, shot the officer. Police have not provided a reason for the traffic stop. Officers from Elwood and Madison County found the wounded Shahnavaz and administered life-saving measures until medical personnel arrived. Just after 2:30 a.m., Hamilton County officers found the Buick and attempted a traffic stop. The Buick continued southbound on Indiana 37. Hamilton County sheriff's deputies pursued the Buick and deployed a tire-deflation device near the area of Indiana 37 and 146th Street. Boards then surrendered without further incident.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Yahoo
Our View: Help stop city's cycle of violence
One group of acquaintances with Anderson connections has been devastated by murders. In particular, what should have been a high point of Ty Willis' high school basketball career was transformed by tragedy. In 2022, the Anderson High School Indians celebrated their first Madison County basketball title since 2014. Willis, who was named The Herald Bulletin's Basketball Athlete of the Year, dedicated his game to Devin Swain and Swain's cousin, Courtney Cox. Swain was murdered at a family gathering on New Year's Eve 2021. Cox died in October 2021 when she was shot by her boyfriend in Atlanta, Georgia. The boyfriend then died in a shootout with police. But the trail of tragedies had not reached its end. In February, a sister of Devin Swain — 26-year-old mother of two Dayla Swain — was shot to death in Anderson as she stood by a car talking to a witness in yet another murder. Dayla was most likely an innocent bystander. The witness was not killed in the February attack. Four young males have been charged in connection to the fatal shooting. One of them is allegedly a member of a Chicago-based crime gang. This insanity is traumatic. The cycle of violence not only destroys families but reaches like venomous tentacles into their communities and, in a larger sense, across the city of Anderson, which struggles against its reputation for violent crime. Thankfully, Anderson police and the Madison County Prosecutor's Office are working diligently and with focus in making arrests in these crimes. But those agencies find themselves far too often working in reaction to fatal shootings. Last September, an otherwise well-meaning but disorganized group sponsored a west side block party. After the party, some hangers-on were involved in a shooting that injured eight people. A moment for peace turned disastrous. With the threat of being shot, some folks are hesitant to 'work' with police or even acknowledge that they witnessed a crime. It is up to Anderson families to take control of this nightmare. Look around the community and see if there is a social challenge affecting residents that could use your help to resolve. Address the problem by establishing positive relationships with neighbors. Consider cleaning up trashy streets and parks. Make a home with strong morals, perhaps faith-based guidance. Raise children with clear anti-violence principles. Talk frequently with your kids to keep open communication. Ask them if they feel bullied, particularly in regard to joining gangs. Parents know the basics. Let's not just rely on law enforcement to react to crime. Now is the time for parents and relatives to instill concepts of right and practice, as they say, what we preach to our children. It might impede a cycle of violence that is on our doorstep and harming us all.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Yahoo
State wants Boards trial moved to Anderson City Court
ANDERSON — The Madison County Prosecutor's Office is seeking to move the murder trial of Carl Roy Webb Boards II to the Anderson City Court. Chief Deputy Prosecutor Andrew Hanna filed the motion to move the trial from the Madison County Government Center to the Anderson City Court, stating it would cause fewer problems than having the trial in Madison Circuit Court Division 3. Madison County Sheriff John Beeman has expressed a preference for moving the trial. Boards is charged with the July 2022 shooting death of Elwood police officer Noah Shahnavaz. In the motion, Hanna noted the trial could take three to six weeks. The motion states seating in the Anderson City Court is approximately 120 for members of the public, compared to 38 in the courtroom. Hanna's motion also states there are three secure holding cells at the city court and none in the courthouse. He said the Anderson City Court would be able to accommodate the number of lawyers involved in the case and provide additional room for the necessary court proceedings. Hanna believes there will be more than two alternate jurors selected for the trial and that the jury box in the circuit court can only seat 14 people, while the city court jury box could be arranged for more than that number. Anderson City Court Judge Jason Jamerson has already agreed to the use of his courtroom and Anderson Police Chief Mike Lee said his department will provide any necessary support during the trial. 'Approximately 150 people work in the Madison County Government Center on a daily basis,' the motion states. 'As evidenced by procedures utilized at pre-trial hearings in this cause, both courthouse staff and the general public are temporarily restricted from moving in the Madison County Government Center when the defendant is being transported.' On July 31, 2022, Shahnavaz stopped a 2012 Buick LaCrosse near the intersection of Indiana 37 and County Road 1100 North. Police have not provided a reason for the traffic stop. Officers from Elwood and Madison County found the wounded Shahnavaz and administered life-saving measures until medical personnel arrived. Shahnavaz was taken by ambulance to Ascension St. Vincent Mercy Hospital in Elwood and later flown by helicopter to an Indianapolis-area hospital, where he died. Just after 2:30 a.m., Hamilton County officers located the Buick and attempted a traffic stop. The Buick continued southbound on Indiana 37. Hamilton County sheriff's deputies pursued the Buick and deployed a tire-deflation device near the area of Indiana 37 and 146th Street. Officers took Boards into custody without further incident.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Yahoo
Fourth teen arrested on murder charge in Feb. 2 shooting
ANDERSON — An Illinois teenager was arrested Tuesday in Columbus, Ohio on charges of murder. Rejon Shamaud Smith, 17, was arrested on preliminary charges of murder, attempted murder, reckless homicide, conspiracy to commit murder and a misdemeanor charge of child in possession of a firearm. The state was given 72 hours to file formal charges against Smith. He is the fourth teenager charged in the Feb. 2 shooting death of Dayla Swain in the 1500 block of South Madison Avenue. The Madison County Prosecutor's Office previously filed murder charges against Rashawn Darrius Samuels, 18, 1200 block of West Ninth Street; Kyree M. Craver, 17, 2600 block of Meridian Street; and Jo'Maijze Larry, 14, 800 block of Sun Valley Drive. Swain was shot and killed on the morning of Feb. 2 while talking to a witness in a murder trial outside of Sonny Ray's. According to court documents, Swain was speaking to a man in a Ford F150 pickup truck when gunfire began to strike the truck. The man told police that as the gunfire started, he fled the scene. The court documents include an allegation that Samuels is affiliated with the Mickey Cobra Nation, a 'criminal organization with ties originating in Chicago.' The documents state that Samuels' family are among the founding members of the organization. The documents said there was a 'known dispute' between the Mickey Cobra Nation and the man who was reportedly driving the Ford F150. Instead of killing the driver of the F150, the crossfire struck and killed Swain. The F150 driver is a witness in the case and is not named in this story, in keeping with Herald Bulletin policy. Police said Monday that the investigation of the Feb. 2 fatal shooting is ongoing 'and other persons of interest are being actively pursued.' Smith is shown in a video recording with a handgun at the time of the incident. A witness said after the shooting, several of the suspects arrived at his residence and appeared nervous, panicked and out of breath, mentioning that someone was shot. According to a probable cause affidavit, it was believed that Samuels and several others were attempting to kill a witness in the murder trial of Donavan Harris. Harris is charged with murder in connection with the shooting death of Jullian Craig, 15, on Nov. 24 during a drug deal. Harris is also charged with dealing in a narcotic, armed robbery and criminal confinement with a deadly weapon. He is scheduled to go on trial in Madison Circuit Court Division 1 on May 6.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Yahoo
14-year-old is 3rd teen charged with murder in Feb. 2 Anderson shooting
ANDERSON — A third Anderson teen has been charged with murder in the Feb. 2 death of Dayla Swain, who was caught in gunfire reportedly targeting a murder trial witness. Jo'Maijze 'Biggie' Larry, 14, Anderson, turned himself in Sunday to Anderson police and has been waived to adult court on charges of murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, reckless homicide and child in possession of a firearm. Larry, who was accompanied by his father and an attorney when he turned himself in, was detained Tuesday at the Madison County Juvenile Detention Center without bond. The Madison County Prosecutor's Office previously filed murder charges in the Feb. 2 shooting — near Sonny Ray's Café, in the 1500 block of South Madison Avenue — against Rashawn Darrius Samuels, 18, Anderson, and Kyree M. Craver, 17, Anderson. Larry met with Samuels and Craver on Jan. 31 in a parking lot at the Geater Community Center in Anderson, where they discussed what action to take against a witness in the murder trial of Donavan Harris, according to police. Two days later, Swain was caught in the crossfire and shot to death while talking to the Harris murder trial witness, who was in a Ford F150 pickup outside of Sonny Ray's. The murder trial witness fled the shooting scene in the pickup, according to police. Harris is charged with murder and related felonies in the Nov. 24, 2024, shooting death of Jullian Craig, 15, during a drug deal. Harris is scheduled to go on trial May 6 in Madison Circuit Court Division 1. Court documents allege that Samuels is affiliated with 'Mickey Cobra Nation,' a 'criminal organization with ties originating in Chicago.' The documents state that the organization was founded by members of Samuels' family. The documents refer to a 'known dispute' between Mickey Cobra Nation and the Harris murder trial witness, who is not named in this story, in keeping with Herald Bulletin policy on witnesses. Samuels, who was arrested last week in Milwaukee, reportedly told police that he took Larry with him to Wisconsin after the Feb. 2 shooting because Larry was scared to remain in Anderson, where people were accusing him of being the shooter. In a Feb. 4 Instagram post, Larry said he wouldn't return to Anderson until the case was over, according to the affidavit. Police said this week that the investigation of the Feb. 2 shooting is ongoing 'and other persons of interest are being actively pursued.'
