In the late hours of a Thursday night in March 2023, 57-year-old Stephen Flynn was working a shift as a Papa John's delivery driver in Indianapolis. A husband and father of two, he had recently taken on the job, his wife later recalled, because he enjoyed the simple pleasure of making people happy by bringing them a pizza. That night, however, a delivery call would lead to a senseless act of violence that would cut his life short.
Unbeknownst to Flynn, the order he was dispatched to deliver was a setup, a lure to a vacant home on the city's east side.
Upon arriving at the Priscilla Avenue address around 11 p.m., Flynn was shot and his car was stolen. He was discovered lying in the street with gunshot wounds and was rushed to a nearby hospital, but his injuries proved fatal. The initial investigation by Indianapolis police revealed the tragic irony that while the assailants took the pizza, they left behind a significant amount of cash that Flynn was carrying. His stolen vehicle was later found abandoned, offering early clues for detectives to follow.
The investigation into Stephen Flynn's murder moved swiftly, leading to the arrest of Justin Turner. Detectives were able to connect Turner to the crime through the phone number used to place the pizza order. Further evidence came from the GPS device in Flynn's stolen car, which led police to an apartment complex. Security footage from a nearby school and an assisted living facility also captured a man, later identified as Turner, walking with the pizza boxes after the car was ditched. Investigators also found the gun used in the shooting and were able to match Turner's DNA to it.
In a bench trial in March 2025, Justin Turner was found guilty of murder, robbery resulting in serious bodily injury, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon. Prosecutors laid out the case, detailing how Turner had used a fake name to order the pizza to a vacant house with the intent to rob the delivery driver. The judge, convinced beyond a reasonable doubt of his guilt, handed down a sentence of 63 years in prison for the murder of Stephen Flynn. The verdict brought a measure of closure to a family and community heartbroken over the loss of a beloved man for what amounted to a few dollars worth of pizza.
