In the early morning hours of October 1, 2022, a violent altercation in Clay County, Indiana, tragically ended the life of 52-year-old Timothy Lee Hayden. The incident, which also left two others injured, stemmed from a dispute that escalated to gunfire.
The events leading to the fatal shooting began after Timothy Hayden and his son, Jerick Hayden, discovered that Timothy's residence had been damaged.
Believing a woman named Leah Butters was responsible, the father and son, accompanied by another individual, Dakota Branham, drove to her home. Both Jerick and Timothy were armed.
Upon their arrival, an argument broke out between the Haydens and Butters, who had come out of her house with a handgun. The verbal confrontation quickly turned violent, and multiple shots were fired. In the exchange of gunfire, both Timothy Hayden and Leah Butters sustained gunshot wounds.
Following the shooting, authorities were dispatched to Butters' residence shortly before 2 a.m., where they found her in the driveway with multiple gunshot wounds. Around the same time, a second call led police to a Pilot truck stop on I-70. There, they discovered Timothy Hayden lying on the ground behind a vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
After a thorough investigation by the Clay County Sheriff's Office and the Indiana State Police, which included witness interviews and a review of physical evidence, Jerick Hayden was arrested on November 22, 2022. He was subsequently charged with attempted murder and unlawful possession of a firearm by a domestic batterer.
