On the evening of April 12, 2024, police in Lawrence, Indiana, a municipality within Indianapolis, responded to a report of a shooting at the Jamestowne Apartments in the 4400 block of Duxbury Lane. Upon arrival, officers discovered a horrific scene inside a parked Chevy Cruze where three individuals had been fatally shot. Among the victims was 27-year-old male Spencer Randolph Lawson Jr., who had been in the vehicle with two 19-year-old women, cousins Aaliyah Wortman and Londyn Coleman.
Investigators determined that the victims had sustained multiple gunshot wounds, with forensic pathologists later testifying that Lawson alone had been shot approximately 26 times, many at close range.
Detectives described the triple homicide as a 'set-up' execution. The investigation revealed that the victims were likely ambushed in the parking lot. Evidence collected at the scene included shell casings and a Chevy Impala that had been abandoned by the perpetrators. A forensic examination of the abandoned vehicle and other clues led authorities to identify potential suspects. Police learned that a second male suspect, who had allegedly participated in the shooting, died by suicide shortly after the incident and was never arrested.
Authorities arrested 25-year-old Malik Shaw in connection with the murders. During his trial in July 2025, prosecutors argued that Shaw was one of the gunmen responsible for the ambush. The jury found Shaw guilty of two counts of murder for the deaths of Wortman and Coleman but remained deadlocked on the third murder charge regarding Spencer Lawson Jr. Despite the deadlock on the count involving Lawson, the judge sentenced Shaw to 116 years in prison, ordering him to serve consecutive 58-year terms for the two convictions. Prosecutors indicated that the unresolved charge related to Lawson's death would be addressed in future proceedings.
