In the quiet evening hours of March 8, 2023, the life of Timothy A. Sannito, a 52-year-old male, was abruptly ended in the parking lot of the Ale Emporium in Greenwood, Indiana. What began as a routine weeknight, with Sannito having dinner with coworkers, a common practice for the engineer, spiraled into a fatal encounter. Witnesses reported an argument between two men in the parking lot just after 9 p.m., culminating in one man shooting the other and fleeing the scene in a dark-colored SUV.
First responders found Sannito unresponsive, having sustained two gunshot wounds. He was rushed to Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis in critical condition but succumbed to his injuries later that night. The Greenwood Police Department immediately launched an investigation into the shooting that shattered the peace of the suburban community.
The investigation quickly led to a person of interest. Through the use of security footage and license plate reader cameras, authorities identified a black SUV leaving the scene. This information led them to 25-year-old Marco Antonio Gonzalez of Greenwood. Just days after the shooting, on March 13, 2023, Gonzalez was arrested and faced a preliminary charge of murder.
Following his arrest, Gonzalez was formally charged with murder. During the course of the investigation, details emerged from a probable cause affidavit. Security footage showed Sannito entering his car at 9:19 p.m., parked next to a black SUV. Twenty seconds later, the SUV backed out, and Sannito was seen falling to the ground. When questioned by police about the murder charge, Gonzalez reportedly suggested it should be manslaughter because the act wasn't premeditated and he didn't know Sannito. While being transported to jail, he allegedly made a chilling statement to an officer, remarking, 'I should have joined the military, at least then I could have murdered someone and gotten away with it'.
The legal proceedings against Gonzalez have been complex. In the months following his arrest, the court addressed the question of his mental state. After a period in a state hospital, he was deemed competent to stand trial in early 2024. His defense has since filed a motion to suppress evidence, including the gun found in his vehicle and statements he made to the police. As of May 2025, the case was still active in the court system, with a judge yet to rule on the suppression of evidence.
