In the summer of 2021, a grim discovery was made on the east side of Indianapolis that brought a tragic end to the life of 45-year-old Hurts Presendieu. On July 9th, his body was found outside a church on East 25th Street, near North Post Road. Medics were called to the scene, but it was too late; Presendieu was pronounced dead. The Marion County Coroner's Office would later confirm that he had died from a gunshot wound to the head, and his death was officially ruled a homicide.
At the time of his death, Presendieu, a male, was working as a driver for the ride-sharing service Lyft.
The investigation into Presendieu's murder led detectives to a 17-year-old named Jahion Jarrett. A significant piece of evidence that implicated the teenager was a GPS ankle monitor he was wearing at the time of the incident. The data from the ankle monitor placed Jarrett in the vicinity of Presendieu's last Lyft pickup and where the ride ended. Furthermore, surveillance footage from the church where Presendieu's body was discovered showed his car, and the GPS data from Jarrett's ankle monitor corresponded with the vehicle's presence at the location. Investigators believe Jarrett had intended to rob Presendieu, which is known as a 'lick' in slang terms. Witnesses stated that Jarrett had talked about his plan to commit a robbery. After the shooting, Jarrett allegedly dumped Presendieu's body and stole his vehicle.
The trail of evidence didn't stop there. On July 12, police attempted to pull over Presendieu's stolen car, but the driver fled. The ensuing chase ended in a crash, and three juveniles, with Jarrett identified as the driver, were detained. A later search of the vehicle revealed suspected dried blood. On July 27, IMPD Homicide detectives arrested Jarrett for the murder of Hurts Presendieu. He was charged as an adult with murder, robbery resulting in serious bodily injury, resisting law enforcement, and dangerous possession of a firearm.
In a subsequent court proceeding, Jahion Jarrett, then 19, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder. As a result of his plea, he was sentenced to 35 years in the Indiana Department of Correction. The other charges against him were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
