The night of April 23, 2022, into the early morning hours of April 24, was meant to be a time of celebration at the Romney Meadows apartment complex in Lafayette, Indiana. A large block party had gathered in the 3000 block of Phipps Court, drawing a crowd of over one hundred people who spilled out from an apartment into the surrounding common areas. Among the attendees was twenty-nine-year-old Edward Roberson, a male resident who had joined the festivities alongside friends and neighbors.
The atmosphere was initially lively, with music, drinking, and dice games taking place inside one of the units, but the mood shifted drastically as the night wore on.
Around 2:45 a.m., a black BMW arrived at the scene carrying Kevon Kareem McCaster and his associates. Witnesses later recounted that McCaster, who was wearing a ski mask upon arrival, mingled with the crowd before tensions began to rise inside the apartment where the gambling was taking place. What began as a social gathering descended into chaos when a dispute broke out, quickly escalating into violence. Gunfire erupted within the crowded space, sending panic through the partygoers as they scrambled for safety. In the ensuing melee, multiple people were struck by bullets.
Edward Roberson was fatally wounded during the shooting, his life cut short amidst the sudden violence. He was not the only casualty that night; thirty-four-year-old Tommy Marshall also lost his life in the barrage of gunfire. Four other individuals sustained injuries but survived the incident. Law enforcement officers from the Lafayette Police Department responded to the scene around 4:20 a.m. after receiving reports of multiple shots fired. They arrived to find a chaotic crime scene with numerous shell casings scattered both inside and outside the apartment, evidencing the intensity of the shootout.
Investigators worked to piece together the events of that night, leading them to identify Kevon McCaster as a primary suspect. McCaster himself had been injured during the exchange of gunfire and was treated at a hospital before being taken into custody. The investigation revealed that he had been present at the party with a firearm, and forensic evidence linked him to the scene. He was subsequently charged with two counts of murder for the deaths of Roberson and Marshall, as well as charges related to aggravated battery and criminal recklessness.
In February 2024, McCaster waived his right to a jury trial, opting instead for a bench trial before a judge. Over the course of three days, prosecutors presented evidence detailing his involvement in the deadly shooting. The court found him guilty on all counts, including the murders of Edward Roberson and Tommy Marshall. Later that year, the judicial process concluded with a severe penalty reflecting the gravity of the crime. McCaster was sentenced to an aggregate term of one hundred forty years in the Department of Correction, ensuring that he would spend the remainder of his life behind bars for the violence that claimed two lives on that spring night.
