INDIANAPOLIS — The trial for three of the four men charged in a quadruple homicide in 2020 has concluded with guilty verdicts.
Cameron Banks, Desmond Banks and Lasean Watkins were each found guilty of murder, felony murder and robbery resulting in serious bodily injury.
Court documents allege that the Cameron and Desmond Banks, who are brothers, along with Rodreice Anderson and Lasean Watkins, killed Marcel Wills, 20, Braxton Ford, 21, Kimari Hunt 21, and Jalen Roberts, 19.
Officers found the four victims while responding about 10:30 p.m. to the 4100 block of Shady Oak Drive on Feb. 5, 2020. All four had been shot multiple times.
When investigators arrived at the scene, they noted that the home appeared to have been ransacked with "drawers pulled out and falling from dressers." An empty black safe was also located in one of the open closets, open, with the key still on top. Two guns were also missing from the home, according to court documents.
Witnesses told detectives people were gambling at the house before the shooting and gave detectives a vehicle description, which they used to find a suspect vehicle from nearby surveillance video.
“In a matter of minutes, we have four young people tragically killed, four young men who will now be held accountable their actions, and seven families forever affected by one senseless act. As a community, we cannot continue to allow our young people to be devastated by gun violence and the consequences that follow," Prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement.
Three suspects could be seen on surveillance footage entering the residence and fleeing to a vehicle shortly after the shooting occurred. Utilizing that footage, investigators were able to identify the suspects’ vehicle as belonging to Anderson.
In an interview with detectives, Anderson initially denied any involvement in the crime before admitting that he drove the suspects to the scene of the crime after the four had planned a robbery.
In October 2022, Anderson accepted a plea agreement which charged him with four counts of robbery resulting in bodily injury. As part of the agreement, Anderson agreed to cooperate with the prosecution.
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