Nov. 14 -- GOSHEN -- A man charged in a murder was sentenced for the robbery part of his crime in Elkhart County Superior Court 3 on Thursday. Marcus J. Love will serve roughly 40 years despite pleading guilty to a lower crime.
Love is accused in a cold-case murder that occurred May 22, 2002. Police were called to the 600 block of Third Street, Elkhart, on that day. There, a neighbor had contacted the police to report Robert Reed was dead on the floor of his home.
The death was ruled a homicide, resulting from multiple injuries to the head and neck.
The case remained unsolved although several individuals were marked as possibly being involved through the investigation, until one witness claimed to police that Marcus J. Love, now 51, told them about the murder soon after it happened, claiming to have beaten Reed to death, according to a probable cause affidavit. Another witness reportedly told police Love would frequent Reed's home to use drugs around the time of Reed's death, the report reads.
Blood samples collected at the home were reportedly found to be consistent with Love's DNA. They also allegedly found DNA on Reed's shirt at the time of his death and, according to investigators, confirmed it was from Reed himself and from Love.
During an interview in 2011, Love reportedly told police he didn't know Reed, but that he saw him occasionally at Faith Mission. In an interview with police in 2021, Love initially denied being in Reed's home and denied the altercation had occurred, but later admitted to frequenting the place, and said he couldn't remember if he'd had an altercation with Reed, a probable cause affidavit reads. Love was charged with murder in August of 2022 while serving time at Westville Correctional Facility.
Love pleaded guilty to robbery resulting in serious bodily injury, a Class A felony. On Thursday, ahead of his sentencing, Love apologized to the court.
Love was sentenced to 35 years at the Indiana Department of Corrections and 5 years to be served on reporting probation for Count 2, robbery resulting in serious bodily injury, a Class A felony. Count 1, murder, was dropped.
JOSHUA P. MARTINEZ
A Plymouth man appeared in Elkhart County Circuit Court for an initial hearing on Thursday. Joshua P. Martinez, 24, of Plymouth is accused in the Nov. 3 shooting of Romulo Reyes and Carlos Martinez.
Elkhart police reported that around 4:40 a.m. officers arrived at a shooting scene in the front yard of a property in the 700 block of C.R. 3. There they found Reyes, 33, of Elkhart, who died a the scene from a gunshot wound; and Martinez, 38, of South Bend, also suffering from gunshot wounds in the backyard. Martinez was transported to Elkhart General Hospital with life-threatening injuries.
On Thursday, Martinez was appointed a public defender and received upcoming hearing dates. A pretrial conference is scheduled for Dec. 12, trial status conference for March 13, and jury trial scheduled for April 7.
TYREN T. ALLEN
Tyren T. Allen was sentenced to a total of four years for his part in the 2021 death of Elkhart teen Deontae Harris during Elkhart County Circuit Court on Thursday.
Allen was arrested Feb. 13 for a theft at Walmart on Nov. 16, 2023. The misdemeanor theft was the lowest of his charges. After he was arrested, Allen was held to testify in the murder trial of Sherman Whitener that same month. Whitener was found guilty in the July, 8, 2021, murder and sentenced to 63 years in prison in April.
It's alleged that Allen harbored or assisted Whitener in the murder of Harris when he took something from Harris' body following the shooting. Police believe it was a gun. Allen said during the trial that it was a phone or keys but couldn't remember, but the driver of the vehicle Harris was in said his phone and his keys were both left in his car.
Allen is charged with assisting a criminal who assisted in or committed murder, a Level 5 felony; and obstruction of justice, a Level 6 felony.
On Thursday, Allen was sentenced to Count 1, assisting a criminal, a Level 5 felony, to four years at the Indiana Department of Corrections with two suspended on reporting probation.
JUSTIN J. RICHARDSON
A man accused of running away with a teenager was sentenced to a total of 12 years for sex crimes.
The victim's mother told police that her 15-year-old daughter was in a sexual relationship with Justin J. Richardson, 29 at the time, and the two ran away together in January 2023.
According to a probable cause affidavit, the victim later went on to tell police that she'd known Richardson for about five years, and they entered into a sexual relationship a few months prior. The victim also claimed that Richardson had been giving her meth.
Richardson denied the allegations during the investigation but police found evidence on her phone of certain sexual activity.
Richardson pleaded guilty and was sentenced to Count 1, sexual misconduct with a minor, a Level 4 felony, and was sentenced to a total of 12 years, with four years to be served at the Indiana Department of Corrections, two years to be served on Community Corrections, and the remaining six years on reporting probation. A second count of the same was dismissed per plea.
NICHOLE M. NEELY and OWEN MILLER
Parents charged in the death of their 6-month-old child saw their jury trials continued on Thursday, from Dec. 9 to Feb. 10.
Nichole Neely and Owen Miller have their separate jury trials coming up in the case. Police visited their home in the 24000 block of Idlewood Avenue after a neighbor reported to 911 that the father, Miller, 43, came to him seeking medical assistance for the baby. Another neighbor went to the home and found the baby unconscious and began CPR.
The mother, Neely, 42, told police she'd left the baby in the bedroom for about 10 minutes and came back to Miller and the baby asleep on the bed, and realized the baby was limp and not breathing.
Among the trash, rotting food and gnats throughout the home, police also noted in court documents, a baby bottle containing a brownish-colored liquid with a fly inside.
The baby was hospitalized. At the hospital, Miller exhibited signs of overdose and he was administered Narcan, the probable cause affidavit reads. The baby was pronounced dead half an hour after initial police arrival.
The Elkhart County Homicide Unit took over the investigation and found Neely at the home high on meth, the affidavit reads. Neely told police that the baby was born premature at home, and that she breastfed him.
An autopsy of the baby showed fentanyl and meth in the baby's system, diaper rash, acute pulmonary edema, and staphylococcus epidermidis, the probable cause affidavit reads. The autopsy determined the cause of death to be acute fentanyl and meth toxicity. Other children at the home were treated at the hospital for fentanyl poisoning.
TRAVIS L. HOWEY
A man accused of trying to rape a teenager on a late-night walk over the summer saw his jury trial continued during Elkhart County Circuit Court on Thursday.
Travis L. Howey, is accused of attempted rape, a Level 3 felony; sexual misconduct with a minor, a Level 5 felony; and confinement, a Level 6 felony, after an incident dating back to Aug. 11, 2022.
The 14-year-old girl claims she suffered an attempted rape while out on a walk on C.R. 15 near Bainbridge Drive.
The girl said the incident occurred around 2 a.m. Aug. 11, 2022. She said she heard a moped behind her and turned around to find a man riding a red moped with silver accents approaching her. The man groped her and took her cell phone before she escaped. The cell phone was tracked Church of God on C.R. 4 in Elkhart.
Police found a man there matching the description of the man who attacked her, and his moped.
He reportedly told police that he had been working in his parent's garden in Cassopolis, Michigan, at the time the incident occurred.
Howey's jury trial previously scheduled for Dec. 9 was rescheduled to Feb. 10 as his public defender told the court they were experiencing ongoing issues related to cell phone and location data.
MELVIN D. LEVY and TYRONE HUNT
Two men accused of a bank robbery in March had hearings during Thursday's Circuit Court proceedings. One pleaded guilty and the other learned he might be facing more serious charges.
Tyrone Andre Hunt, 61, and Melvin Deandre Levy, 43, both of Elkhart, were arrested on charges of robbery, a Level 3 felony, and resisting law enforcement, a Level 6 felony, after an incident at Fifth Third Bank, 400 N. Main St., Elkhart, on March 14.
Elkhart City police responded to a robbery in progress at 9:37 a.m. that day. Witnesses claimed that one of the men forcefully brought the bank manager and another employee from their offices to teller counters where they were demanded to withdraw cash -- almost $8,000, according to a probable cause affidavit.
With the suspects last seen running toward Sycamore Street, officers also found surveillance of them getting into a white Chevrolet Malibu and, using flock cameras, located the vehicle in the 600 block of Laurel Street around 10:40 a.m., the affidavit reads Neighbors in the area told them a woman had gotten out of that vehicle and into a black Cadillac Escalade, which officers later found in the 3500 block of Superior Street. Officers followed the vehicle to a car wash and when they approached, two men reportedly fled on foot.
The men were caught and identified as Melvin Levy and Tyrone Hunt, each with over $2,000 in cash on their person, and backpacks alleged to have been involved in the robbery, as well as clothing identified by witnesses, the affidavit reads.
Hunt allegedly told police he and Levy were responsible for the robbery, but Levy denied involvement.
During Thursday's proceedings, Elkhart County Circuit Court Judge Michael Christofeno continued Levy's trial from Dec. 2 to April 7 as the state also noted intent to file a habitual criminal offender enhancement on him.
Meanwhile, Hunt pleaded guilty to Count 1, robbery, a Level 5 felony, and Count 2, resisting law enforcement, a Class A misdemeanor.
A Middlebury man is facing felony charges from a crash back in May that left another driver severely injured.
The crash occurred around 10 p.m. March 31 when Elkhart County Sheriff's Office deputies reported that Demiris Williams, 41, Middlebury, was driving a 2021 Jeep Cherokee east on C.R. 18.
Police say his vehicle went off the north side of the road in the 23000 block of C.R. 18, struck a mailbox, then a tree, then rolled over.
He and a passenger, Donetta Smith, were taken to Elkhart General Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, and the crash remains under investigation. Williams told police that they were headed home from the bowling alley and he must have fallen asleep at the wheel. He admitted to having a few beers earlier in the day and tested positive for THC after police found marijuana in his vehicle, the affidavit reads.
Smith suffered multiple orthopedic injuries including a nasal septum fracture, rib fractures, femoral neck fracture, and tibia and fibular fractures.
Williams had an initial hearing on Thursday in Elkhart County Circuit Court where he was assigned hearing dates. Williams hired attorney Nicholar Muir as defense counsel. Williams has a pretrial conference scheduled for Dec. 12, a trial status conference scheduled for March 13 and a jury trial for April 7.
FABIAN MARTINEZ JR.
Fabian Martinez Jr., 26, is accused of burglarizing Noodles & Co., 406 C.R. 6, Elkhart.
Police say on May 18 they were called to the restaurant after the store manager noted the office deck computer had been disturbed and a blue cash bag was missing from the safe. In total, she noted $1,600 missing from the business.
Surveillance allegedly showed the accused wearing gloves and noted no forced entry despite the building being locked. The manager suggested Martinez as a suspect as he'd recently worked there and had apparently quit on bad terms, a probable cause affidavit reads. She claimed he still had a key, and knew the alarm system and the safe passcode. She also claimed other indicators of the surveillance footage that made her believe the culprit was Martinez.
When police talked to Martinez, he allegedly told them he turned in his key but did not mention a spare that was not returned, and also declined a voice stress test.
During his initial hearing, Martinez told Judge Christofeno that he intended to hire Wilson & Kinsman and was appointed a public defender until the law firm is hired.
A pretrial conference is scheduled for Dec. 12, a trial status conference March 13, and a jury trial April 7.
TYRIS T. JENNINGS
One of the two men accused in a shooting at a local restaurant is still undergoing evaluations while the other was sentenced months ago.
During Elkhart County Circuit Court on Thursday, Tyris T. Jennings learned that the results of his competency evaluations were split and he would be receiving a third.
According to police, Jennings and Jordan Cole shot a 45-year-old man while robbing a Kentucky Fried Chicken and later a Burger King that day on March 27, 2019. The shooting left the KFC employee paralyzed.
Cole was sentenced in April to 28 years for the robbery charge after pleading guilty, but competency is still undetermined for Jennings.
Dani Messick is the education and entertainment reporter for The Goshen News. She can be reached at dani.messick@goshennews.com or at 574-538-2065.