INDIANAPOLIS — Marion County prosecutors have cleared Monica Conley in the shooting that killed her ex-husband after he violated a restraining order and entered her apartment a year ago.
"At this time we are declining to file charges against Ms. Conley in the death of Mr. (Lamar) Pittman," Michael Leffler, a spokesman for Prosecutor Ryan Mears, said in an email.
The decision comes just days after Conley publicly criticized Mears' office for failing to protect her from Pittman, who had been stalking her for months.
“They definitely dropped the ball,” Conley told WRTV in a story published March 30. “If they would have filed those charges like they had told us, Lamar would not have been out of custody to end up in my house that night.”
Police reports and court records show Pittman continued harassing Conley in phone calls and text messages for months after their divorce was finalized in January 2020. Pittman is a suspect in at least six police reports from 2019-2020 in which he harassed, intimidated, or stole a cell phone from Conley.
When prosecutors charged Pittman with intimidation in May 2020, records show he used the phones at the Marion County Jail to continue to harass Conley.
Pittman was in jail for nearly six months when he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to time served on Jan. 28, 2021. Despite a restraining order, he soon began contacting Conley.
“I talk to God he said I can have u,” read one text she received at 10:42 p.m. on March 1, 2021.
Pittman called Conley at about 3 a.m. on April 3, 2021, according to an IMPD report. He wanted Conley to meet him and talk, she said. She called 911 on another phone and officers arrived at her apartment and witnessed her phone conversation with Pittman.
Body camera video from that early morning incident, provided by IMPD on Tuesday, shows Conley speaking on her cell phone, but there is no audio of her conversation with Pittman.
That same night, Pittman went to Conley's apartment. Her daughter opened the door and he rushed in and went upstairs to her bedroom, she said. Conley shot him at about 11:20 p.m. on April 3, 2021.
The bullet struck Pittman in the neck and killed him, officers are heard saying on body camera video of the incident.
"I've spent this last year wondering if each day would be the last day I'd spend with my kids outside of a prison cell," Conley said in a text message to WRTV. "I made the decision to protect myself, my kids and my niece, a decision I shouldn't have had to make. I pray the prosecutor's office does more to protect women in my same situation.
"This situation could've been avoided, I'd been asking for help for a long time."
WRTV emailed and asked a member of Pittman's family to comment.
MORE: Woman says ex-husband should have been in jail for stalking on the night she shot him
Domestic violence resources:
If you, a friend or a loved one need help leaving a partner, email champions@indypsf.org.
- Silent No More, Inc.: 317-728-6733.
- Beacon of Hope Crisis Center: 317-731-6140, beaconofhopeindy.org.
- The Julian Center: Crisis line, 317-920-9320; juliancenter.org.
- Domestic Violence Network: dvnconnect.org.
- Families First: 317-634-6341; familiesfirstindiana.org.
- Indiana 211: Call 211 to be connected with resources near you; in211.communityos.org.
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233; thehotline.org.
Contact WRTV reporter Vic Ryckaert at victor.ryckaert@wrtv.com or on Twitter: @vicryc.