In the early morning hours of February 26, 2022, the life of 38-year-old Anthony Long, a Black male from Elkhart, Indiana, was tragically cut short in South Bend. Police were dispatched to the intersection of West Monroe Street and South Lafayette Boulevard around 2:36 a.m. following reports of gunfire. Upon their arrival, they discovered Long unconscious inside his vehicle, suffering from gunshot wounds.
It was quickly apparent that this was more than just a shooting; Long's wallet and keys were missing, suggesting a robbery had taken place. Surveillance footage from earlier that night confirmed that Long had been in possession of these items prior to the incident.
The investigation into Long's death painted a grim picture of his final moments. Traffic camera footage from the intersection revealed two vehicles at the scene: Long's car and a maroon Ford Fusion that fled after the shooting. Witnesses provided a description of a tall man in a white T-shirt who they saw lean into Long's vehicle and open fire. The same man was then seen briefly getting into Long's car before a second individual, standing near the Ford Fusion, urged him to leave. The shooter then got into the driver's seat of the Fusion and sped away.
The maroon Ford Fusion became a critical piece of evidence for investigators. They soon discovered the vehicle was registered to the mother of 32-year-old Cecil Huston of South Bend. Further investigation, including surveillance video from both Elkhart and South Bend, showed Huston, wearing a white T-shirt, in the company of a woman in that same car on the night of the murder. Cell phone GPS data corroborated this, placing Huston at the intersection of Monroe and Lafayette at the time of the shooting.
When initially questioned on March 2, both Huston and his female companion denied being in the maroon Fusion on the night of the murder. Huston claimed he had been in Elkhart with the woman and his girlfriend, a story the woman initially supported. However, cell phone records indicated that Huston's girlfriend had never left South Bend that night. Faced with inconsistencies, the woman's story changed during a subsequent interview on June 9. She admitted to being with Huston in the Fusion and recounted how he had spotted Long's vehicle stopped at a red light and decided to 'hit a lick.' She told police that Huston broke the back window of Long's vehicle, shot the person inside, and then searched the car, wiping it down for fingerprints before leaving. She also revealed that Huston had threatened to kill her if she spoke to the police, which is why she had initially lied.
On June 10, the St. Joseph County Prosecutor's Office filed charges against Cecil Huston, including one count of murder, one count of felony murder, one count of armed robbery, and a firearm enhancement. U.S. Marshals apprehended Huston in Indianapolis on August 2 without incident. He was then booked into the St. Joseph County Jail and held without bond.
