On a cold Christmas Eve in New Albany, Indiana, the life of 23-year-old Jalen Baker of Jeffersonville was tragically cut short. On December 24, 2024, around 9:30 p.m., police responded to reports of gunfire at the StoneCrest Apartments on Grant Line Road. There, they discovered Baker outside, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was rushed to Baptist Floyd Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into the death of the young man, a former employee of NYX Parts
Distribution known for his love of music and basketball, quickly revealed a sinister plot. Authorities uncovered that Baker was the target of a planned attack stemming from a long-standing feud. Court records would later indicate that a bounty had been placed on his life, setting in motion a chain of events that culminated in his murder.
Within a month of the shooting, the first arrest was made. Kennedy Forrest, a 23-year-old resident of the apartment complex where Baker was killed, was taken into custody in late January 2025. Investigators alleged that Forrest had been paid to develop a relationship with Baker to track his whereabouts. She was not charged with murder but faced serious felonies, including conspiracy to commit robbery, assisting a criminal, and obstruction of justice.
The investigation further revealed the involvement of Timothy Love III, who was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder. Authorities believe Love had an ongoing feud with Baker and orchestrated the plan by hiring Forrest. A third suspect, Marlon Love, identified as Timothy's uncle, was later apprehended in Maryland in October 2025 after months on the run. Marlon Love is accused of being the gunman and faces charges of murder and complicity to commit murder.
As the legal process unfolded, both Kennedy Forrest and Timothy Love III entered into plea agreements. Forrest pleaded guilty to assisting a criminal and was sentenced to 642 days of supervised probation. Timothy Love pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and received a sentence of more than 19 years in prison; other charges of attempted murder and robbery were dropped as part of the deal. Marlon Love is awaiting extradition back to Indiana to face trial for his alleged role in the fatal shooting that ended a young man's life.
