In the autumn of 2023, the life of Janiya Carr, a 15-year-old Black girl in Indianapolis, Indiana, was tragically cut short just weeks before her sixteenth birthday. A student at Arsenal Technical High School, Janiya had recently attended her school's homecoming dance. Her mother, Demetria Boston, described her as a "firecracker" and a "fighter." The family's world was turned upside down when Janiya failed to return to their home at the Carriage House East Apartments and was reported missing on October 30, 2023.
On November 1, 2023, Janiya's body was found in a wooded area behind the very apartment complex where she lived. The Marion County Coroner’s Office determined she had died from gunshot wounds. The news sent shockwaves through the community, with an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department deputy chief calling her death "senseless and tragic."
The investigation swiftly focused on a suspect who was disturbingly close to home: 34-year-old Tevis Walker, who both lived and worked as a maintenance man at the Carriage House East Apartments. Surveillance footage from the early morning of October 28 allegedly captured Janiya getting into a black Kia Optima registered to Walker around 4:30 a.m. Later, a camera captured what appeared to be a muzzle flash inside the vehicle. The car was then seen on video driving to the grassy area near where Janiya's body was ultimately discovered.
Tevis Walker was arrested on November 2, 2023. When interviewed by detectives, he claimed he had picked Janiya up to buy an iPad, but the seller never arrived, so he dropped her back off at her apartment. He then ended the interview and asked for an attorney. Investigators also learned that Walker had outstanding warrants for his arrest in both Alabama and Georgia. Prosecutors formally charged him with murder in the shooting death of Janiya Carr.
The case went to trial, where prosecutors presented surveillance video and forensic evidence, including Walker's DNA recovered from Janiya's body. In September 2026, a Marion County jury convicted Tevis Walker of murder, felony murder, two counts of rape, and three counts of sexual misconduct with a minor. Following the verdict, Walker pleaded guilty to a habitual offender sentencing enhancement.
In November 2026, a judge sentenced Walker to 140 years in prison for his crimes.
