In the early hours of New Year's Day 2023, the life of Todd Keith Roll, a 49-year-old male resident of Evansville, Indiana, was brought to a tragic and senseless end. Roll was behind the Showplace Cinemas North, a place where he had been sleeping, when he was fatally shot in the head. His body was later discovered in a nearby creek, setting off a swift homicide investigation by the Evansville Police Department.
The discovery shocked the local community, leaving family and friends to grapple with the sudden and violent loss of a loved one.
The investigation quickly led police to a 22-year-old Evansville resident named Brandon Schaefer. Authorities were alerted after Schaefer himself called a woman and confessed to shooting someone behind the movie theater. When police located him at his apartment, he surrendered without incident. During questioning, Schaefer admitted to the killing, telling detectives that he did not know Todd Roll and that the act was entirely random. He chillingly stated that he had been contemplating killing someone for some time and had simply decided to act on those thoughts that morning.
According to Schaefer's confession, he was out for a walk when he came across Roll and decided to kill him. After shooting him, Schaefer moved Roll's body, first to a dumpster and then to the creek where it was ultimately found by law enforcement. He disposed of the firearm in the water and took some of Roll's clothing back to his apartment. The lack of any prior connection between the victim and the perpetrator underscored the random nature of the brutal act.
Brandon Schaefer was arrested and charged with murder. He was booked into the Vanderburgh County Jail and held without bond. His case proceeded through the Vanderburgh County Circuit Court, where he was found guilty but mentally ill for the murder of Todd Keith Roll. The court sentenced Schaefer to 60 years in prison, with a recommendation that he receive mental health treatment. The resolution of the case brought a measure of justice, but the tragic circumstances of Todd Keith Roll's death left a lasting scar on his family and the Evansville community.
