In the late hours of a Tuesday in South Bend, Indiana, the life of Olivia Arinna Carrillo, a 26-year-old female, was tragically cut short. On April 27, 2021, she was killed by gunfire in a residence on South Illinois Street. Another individual, 26-year-old Jalen Cullen, was also wounded in the shooting but survived.
The St. Joseph County Metro Homicide Unit's investigation into the fatal shooting uncovered a drug deal that had turned into a violent robbery.
More than two years later, in October 2023, an arrest was made. Twenty-nine-year-old Dashawn Powell, Jr., was taken into custody and faced charges of murder, robbery, and aiding, inducing or causing murder in connection with Carrillo's death.
According to court documents, Powell had arranged to purchase marijuana from Jalen Cullen. On the night of the incident, Powell allegedly went to the home where Carrillo and Cullen were and initiated an armed robbery. A struggle for Powell's gun broke out, and the weapon discharged. As Powell fled the scene, more shots were fired from outside the house, into the home. At the time of the shooting, Carrillo's young son was in an adjacent room.
The legal proceedings that followed saw Dashawn Powell Jr. stand trial for his alleged role in the events of that fatal night. In August 2025, a jury found Powell guilty of felony murder, aiding, inducing or causing murder, and four counts of robbery. He faced a lengthy prison sentence, with the sentencing range for the murder charges alone being 45 to 65 years. His sentencing was scheduled to take place later that month. During the trial, Jalen Cullen, who had been granted immunity, gave emotional testimony, stating that he had been dating Carrillo and was selling marijuana from her home. He recounted how the planned drug transaction with Powell escalated into a violent altercation that resulted in the deadly shooting.
