INDIANAPOLIS — A man has been convicted of murder for the 2023 shooting death of 27-year-old Emily Willis on the near east side.
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears announced that Deonta Nelson was found guilty of Murder and the Habitual Offender Sentencing Enhancement after a three-day jury trial. Nelson will also face the Felony Firearm Enhancement at sentencing.
On August 28, 2023, IMPD officers were dispatched to the 200 block of North Rural Street. Upon arrival, officers located Emily Willis suffering from gunshot wounds on the front porch of a residence.
Detectives interviewed two juveniles and another witness at the scene. The juveniles stated they were playing basketball when they noticed a gray vehicle driving through a church parking lot. They said the vehicle stopped at the entrance and the occupants appeared to be talking to Willis before they heard her yelling "leave me alone" several times. The juveniles then observed Willis running and saw the passenger of the vehicle shoot her multiple times.
The other witness told detectives that he dropped Willis off in the area earlier in the day to hang out with some friends. He said later, Willis contacted his wife asking for help, stating that two men were trying to lure her into their vehicle, and she needed to be picked up.
Detectives submitted warrants for several locations in the area, including the public library's surveillance footage. In the library's footage, the passenger is seen wearing a bright red hoodie.
A few days later, detectives responded to an apartment complex on E. Washington Street where they were able to locate an address for the man driving the suspect's vehicle. In the complex's camera footage, both the driver and passenger are seen exiting the vehicle and the passenger is wearing the same red hoodie as captured in the library's footage with a gun with a large drum in the front pocket of the hoodie.
While downloading the camera footage from the complex, detectives noticed the gray vehicle leaving the complex. They conducted a traffic stop and transported the driver to the IMPD Homicide office.
During an interview with detectives, the male confessed to being the driver when Willis was shot and described the events leading up to the shooting, which was confirmed from the multiple camera views. The driver also stated that Nelson was the shooter and was armed with a 9mm handgun with a drum, which matched physical evidence recovered from the scene. The driver subsequently identified Nelson in a photo array.
"When the defendant so senselessly shot and killed Ms. Willis as she ran away and pleaded for help, he forced two children playing basketball nearby to witness a murder in cold blood," said Prosecutor Ryan Mears. "I commend the investigators who utilized investigative technology to bolster witness accounts and quickly solve this case."
A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for October 20 at 9:30 a.m.
