DEKALB COUNTY, Ind. (WANE) – A Fort Wayne woman will spend no more than 20 years in prison for her involvement in an Auburn home invasion last year that left two people dead and herself and a man with her facing murder charges.
That’s according to a plea agreement 42-year-old Tabitha L. Johnson made with DeKalb County prosecutors last week.
In the plea deal, Johnson agreed to admit to one count of burglary in connection with the May killings. Prosecutors plan to drop two murder counts levied against Johnson as part of her plea deal and will also recommend a judge cap any sentence given to her at 20 years.
Johnson had been accused of working with three others – later identified as 22-year-old Dylan S. Morefield, 36-year-old Rameica Moore and 42-year-old Shaun T. Kruse – in robbing a home near the Walmart Distribution Center on Auburn’s far west side.
According to DeKalb Superior Court documents, Johnson had been staying with the homeowner off and on for the past 10 years and had messaged him previously about needing $3,000 because some “bad people” had stolen it from her.
She and the others then showed up at the home’s door, located at 1650 State Road 8, on May 14 and pressured the homeowner to give them money. They at first wanted him to sign over a $500 check and then demanded he take them to the bank to withdraw money, court documents said.
The homeowner gave them $65 out of his wallet and convinced them to leave since the banks were closed, according to court documents.
He awoke the following morning, however, to Johnson, Morefield and Moore rummaging around in his house, he later told detectives.
They had smashed his landline phone and took his cell phone so he could not call for help. They had also already stolen some items from the home as well as out of a barn on the property, court documents said.
Moore and Morefield took turns holding a gun to the homeowner’s head at various times, the homeowner later told detectives in court documents.
At some point, he was able to get away and grab his shotgun, according to court documents.
The homeowner encountered Morefield in his kitchen while the house was still dark, pointed the gun in Morefield’s direction and fired twice, he told investigators in court documents. Then the homeowner shot Moore, he said.
Both Morefield and Moore were found dead at the scene.
After the shootings, the homeowner escorted Johnson out of the home at gunpoint, court documents said. Outside the home, Kruse was in the driver’s seat of a vehicle. The homeowner then held both Kruse and Johnson at gunpoint while police arrived.
The homeowner was never identified by police or in court documents and is not charged with a crime in the killings.
In an interview with detectives, Kruse said in court documents he drove the others to the property but did not enter the home.
After the homeowner brought Johnson out at gunpoint, he told Kruse to call 911, which he did, according to court documents.
In her interview with detectives, Johnson claimed she was at the home to retrieve items that belonged to her, according to court documents.
Both Johnson and Kruse were charged with two counts of murder in connection with the killings since they were accused of taking part in a crime in which the two others were killed.
Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced May 15 – exactly a year after the killings.
Kruse’s case is still winding through the legal system. A definitive trial date has yet to be set, but he is due in court on April 17 for a hearing, according to court records.
