INDIANAPOLIS -- A man accused of murdering a man outside of the Regal 8 Hotel on the city's west side in February 2014 was sentenced to 98 years in prison Friday.
Eric Johnson was convicted on charges of murder, robbery, criminal confinement and carrying a handgun without a license for his role in the death of Dustin Woods.
Just after 3 p.m. on February 8, 2014, IMPD dispatch was alerted to gunshots fired at the Regal 8 Inn on West Washington Street near the Indianapolis International Airport.
Officers arrived to find Dustin M. Woods, 29, of Terre Haute, with an apparent gunshot wound to the head.
Woods was transported in critical condition to Eskenazi Hospital. He later died as a result of his injuries.
PREVIOUS | Police: Drug deal, robbery led to fatal shooting at west side hotel
Investigators say they believe Woods had arranged a meeting at the hotel to buy and sell narcotics from two suspects, Eric Johnson and Alejandro Mauricio. Police say during the deal, Woods and another person inside the hotel room were robbed.
When Woods confronted Johnson and Mauricio outside the room, according to police, he was shot – one of the bullets striking him in the head. One of the suspects then fled in Woods' car, while the second fled in a black Chevrolet Impala.
Investigators said they discovered a large amount of narcotics at the scene. Johnson was also quickly apprehended without incident nearby.
Police then tracked the second suspect, Mauricio, to a residence on the 1500 block of North Temple Avenue on the east side. There, according to police, Mauricio barricaded himself inside the residence and refused to cooperate with police negotiators.
After several hours of failed negotiators, SWAT operators entered the home and took Mauricio into custody.
Mauricio later pleaded guilty to robbery and is currently serving a 35 year sentence in the Indiana Department of Corrections.
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