In the summer of 2020, the life of 41-year-old Jean Emmanuel Duperat, a male resident of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was tragically cut short. On the evening of July 8th, police were called to the Coliseum Inn following reports of a shooting inside one of the motel rooms. Upon arrival, officers discovered Duperat suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. Despite the efforts of medics, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
An autopsy later confirmed that a gunshot wound was the cause of death, and the case was officially ruled a homicide.
The investigation into Duperat's death quickly led authorities to identify two persons of interest, Jeremiah G. Stevenson and Jessica Sexton. While Sexton was eventually cleared by the police, the focus of the investigation centered on Stevenson. The Fort Wayne Police Department, in collaboration with the Gang and Violent Crimes Unit and the US Marshals, launched a search for the 26-year-old suspect. The community was also urged to come forward with any information that could lead to his whereabouts. Through diligent police work, including witness interviews and a review of surveillance footage, authorities were able to piece together the events of that fatal night.
Less than a month after the shooting, on August 6, 2020, a tip led law enforcement to a home on Winter Street where Stevenson was found hiding. He was arrested without incident and subsequently charged with murder in connection with the death of Jean Emmanuel Duperat. The legal proceedings that followed culminated on January 11, 2021, when Jeremiah Stevenson was sentenced for his role in the killing. He faced charges of voluntary manslaughter and using a firearm in the commission of an offense, resulting in a 40-year prison sentence.
