Byron Otis Dennis Jr., a 24-year-old male, was on his way to visit his mother on the evening of March 11, 2024, when he made a stop at a Circle K gas station at 901 E. Bradford St. in Marion, Indiana. Inside the store, he encountered 13-year-old Zaiden Guy. The two did not know each other, but their brief interaction would end in tragedy.
Surveillance footage from the convenience store captured what police described as a brief altercation between Dennis and the teenager.
Guy attempted to steal a handgun that Dennis had in his pocket. During the struggle, Guy gained control of the firearm and shot Dennis in the chest. After the shooting, Guy picked up Dennis's gun from the floor and left the store. Emergency services were called to the scene just before 8 p.m., finding Dennis with a gunshot wound at the entrance of the store. He was transported to Marion Health hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Marion police quickly identified Zaiden Guy as the suspect after reviewing the store's surveillance video. Less than an hour after the shooting, information led officers to a house on East Highland Avenue, where Guy was located and taken into custody. Due to the serious nature of the crime, the Grant County prosecutor's office announced its intention to have the 13-year-old charged as an adult.
In April 2024, Zaiden Guy was formally charged in adult court with two counts of murder, robbery resulting in serious bodily injury, unlawful carrying of a handgun, theft, and criminal recklessness. On April 14, 2025, Guy pleaded guilty to murder, robbery, unlawfully carrying of a handgun, and theft in a Grant County courtroom. As part of the proceedings, one of the murder charges and the other charges were dismissed at sentencing. On July 15, 2025, a judge sentenced Zaiden Guy, then 14, to 50 years, with 45 years to be served in the Indiana Department of Correction and five years on probation.
