INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis 16-year-old charged as an adult in the murder of a brother and sister will spend 40-years in prison.
Lometreus Sanders was 15-years-old when he was arrested shortly after the 2019 murders of 16-year-old Nicholas Nelson and his 15-year-old sister, Ashlynn.
After a series of hearings, Sanders was charged as an adult and then recently agreed to a plea deal.
Wednesday, Sanders received two concurrent 45-year sentences for the murders, meaning the sentences will be served at the same time. The last five-years of the sentence will be on home detention.
Nicholas and Ashlynn Nelson were students at Lawrence North High School. They were shot to death last August at their northeast side apartment near North Post Road and East 42nd Street.
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According to information from police and the prosecutor, the siblings were getting ready for school when the shooting happened. Sanders was arrested a few days later.
Sanders said he and Ashlynn had been dating "for a few weeks" before the shooting. On that morning, Sanders said he had thrown some pebbles at her window to get her attention and was invited inside.
Sanders told detectives that he and Ashlynn went into the bedroom and something happened when her brother, Nicholas, came through the door with a gun in his hand.
Sanders said he wrestled with Nicholas and the gun fell to the floor. He then fell on top of the gun and it "went off a few times, striking the brother," court documents said. The fight then went out to the landing where someone jumped on Sanders and pulled his hoodie down over his face. At that point, Sanders told detectives he was afraid so he shot Ashlynn in the head and then shot Nicholas again.
The teens' mom said Nicholas had a 4.6 GPA and was hoping to attend Purdue University. She said Ashlynn was quiet but a nice young girl.
