INDIANAPOLIS -- An Indianapolis man was found not guilty of murder on Wednesday in connection to the death of his roommate in January 2016.
Derrick Dillard, 34, has been in custody at the Marion County Jail since his arrest on Jan. 15, 2016. Dillard was arrested on charges of murder and unlawful possession of a firearm after his roommate, 41-year-old Jeffrey Robinson, was found dead in a home in the 600 block of North Linwood Avenue.
At the time, police said Robinson’s death did not appear to be natural and that he had “visible signs of trauma.”
On Monday, a Marion County judge accepted a motion to drop the charge of unlawful possession of a firearm against Dillard. Dillard’s trial began the same day, and ended on Wednesday, when he was found not guilty of the remaining count of murder.
Dillard's attorney, David Hennessy, said the jury delivered "exactly the correct verdict."
"There were too many other suspects. The investigation was too lacking," Hennessy said. "If you want to presume someone guilty you could convict them on that evidence, but it wouldn’t be justice. The jury evaluated the evidence and came to the correct decision.”
As of Friday afternoon, Marion County Jail records showed Dillard still in custody. Hennessy said his client was still being detained on an unrelated firearms charge.
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