INDIANAPOLIS — The jury in the trial for the 2020 murder of Chris Beaty has found all 3 of the four identified suspects guilty after deliberations Thursday night. That includes Alijah Jones, Nakeyah Shields and Marcus Anderson.
Beaty was shot and killed in downtown Indianapolis on May 30, 2020. This was during the riots that erupted after a protest in response to the Minneapolis police murder of George Floyd.
IMPD shared that four of the five suspects were identified in a video taken just before Beaty sent text messages checking the perimeter of his apartment building to make sure his neighbors were safe the night he was killed. Investigators say the group of four men and one woman were roaming the vicinity of Delaware, Michigan, Vermont and Talbott Streets, pointing and firing guns and committing armed robberies.
The same group was also the subject of an IMPD investigation into an armed robbery from a video showing five people robbing a woman in a white Volvo in an Indy parking garage.
IMPD said that four of the five suspects in that video have since been identified as Alijah Jones, Dorian Murrell, Nakeyah Shields and Marcus Anderson while one remains unidentified three years later.
Three of the four who were identified in that case faced robbery and murder charges in Beaty’s death. The fourth identified suspect, Dorian Murrell was shot and killed the same night as Beaty during another alleged armed robbery downtown.
The trial against the three suspects began nearly three years later on Monday, May 22. During the week numerous amounts of evidence and testimony was shared with the jury surrounding Beaty’s death. That included pictures of Beaty’s dead body in the alley he was found, detectives revealing how they found Marcus Anderson as a suspect and IMPD released video allegedly showing Anderson, Jones and Shields involved in an armed robbery the night of Chris Beaty’s death.
Today we are thankful for this verdict and grateful to the Beaty family for the dignity, grace, and patience they have continuously displayed throughout this difficult process. Chris tragically lost his life while caring for others and his city. His death was felt by many throughout Indianapolis, Bloomington, and beyond.
Prosecutor Ryan Mears, (D) Marion County
Alijah Jones was found guilty of one count of Murder and eight other counts of Armed Robbery charges. Nakeyah Shields was found guilty of one count of Murder and seven other counts of Armed Robbery charges. Marcus Anderson was found guilty of two counts of Murder, eight counts of Armed Robbery charges and a felony charge of Pointing a Firearm at Another was dismissed.
The three found guilty have a sentencing hearing scheduled for June 21 at 9:30 a.m.
