In the small community of New Palestine, Indiana, a gathering of friends turned tragic on the evening of November 22, 2023. Eighteen-year-old Evan Andrew Neumeister, a male senior at New Palestine High School, was with two friends, including 20-year-old Erick N. Wilkinson, in a residence on South Eclipse Way. The friends were reportedly hanging out in a bedroom when Wilkinson, who had recently acquired a 9mm handgun, was handling the weapon.
Around 5:30 p.m., the gun discharged, striking Neumeister in the chest. The third friend, a 17-year-old juvenile, witnessed the event and immediately called 911. Both Wilkinson and the juvenile attempted to render aid, with Wilkinson using his own shirt to apply pressure to the wound, but their efforts were ultimately in vain. Emergency responders arrived and transported Neumeister to IU Health Methodist Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The promising young man, who had already earned his firefighter I & II certifications, passed away just one day after his eighteenth birthday.
The investigation into the shooting led to the arrest of Erick N. Wilkinson on the same evening. He was initially held on preliminary charges of criminal recklessness and involuntary manslaughter. Subsequently, the Hancock County Prosecutor's office formally charged Wilkinson with reckless homicide, a Level 5 felony. Wilkinson maintained that the shooting was unintentional, stating that he was not paying attention while manipulating the firearm and that his finger must have been on the trigger when it fired. The case proceeded to a jury trial in October 2024; however, after three hours of deliberation, the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict, resulting in a hung jury and a mistrial.
Following the hung jury, the legal proceedings continued, and rather than face a second trial, Wilkinson entered into a plea agreement in September 2025. He pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of criminal recklessness, a Level 6 felony, and the more severe reckless homicide charge was dismissed. The judge sentenced Wilkinson to a two-year term, with one year to be served in the Hancock County Jail and the remainder on probation. A clerical error regarding credit for time served on home detention initially led to a miscalculation of his release date, causing further distress to Neumeister's family. In addition to the criminal case, Neumeister's parents filed a civil lawsuit against Wilkinson in February 2025, seeking accountability for the death of their son.
