On the morning of September 16, 2022, 32-year-old Krystal Walton was dropping her children off at the Charity Child Care in Indianapolis. As she returned to her vehicle, she was ambushed by her ex-boyfriend and the father of her youngest child, 35-year-old Orlando Mitchell. Mitchell had been lying in wait for her and opened fire, shooting her multiple times in front of witnesses, including children, before fleeing the scene in a red Dodge Avenger.
Hours after the shooting, police located
Mitchell near 10th and Delaware Street. He was armed with a rifle and refused to drop it when ordered by officers. The situation escalated, and police fired at Mitchell, striking him in the leg. Body camera footage from his arrest captured Mitchell's multiple confessions to the shooting.
The investigation revealed a history of domestic violence and threats made by Mitchell against Walton. She had previously reported him to the police and had an active protective order against him at the time of her murder. Court records indicated that Mitchell had a prior domestic battery conviction for strangling Walton while she was pregnant and had threatened her life on multiple occasions. Mitchell's mother told police that her son was upset about not being able to see their one-year-old son and had threatened a murder-suicide, stating that if he couldn't see his son, Walton wouldn't be in his life either.
In February 2025, a jury found Orlando Mitchell guilty of murder and invasion of privacy after deliberating for just 90 minutes. His defense attorneys presented no evidence during the trial. On April 1, 2025, Mitchell was sentenced to 66 years in prison for the murder of Krystal Walton. In a separate and later incident while in custody, Mitchell was also charged with the murder of Marion County Sheriff's Deputy John Durm, whom he allegedly strangled during an escape attempt in July 2023.
