On the evening of February 19, 2020, 15-year-old Eric Ray McDonnell Jr., a male resident of Fort Wayne, Indiana, found himself the target of a violent ambush that would ultimately claim his life. While in an alleyway near the intersection of McKinnie and Euclid Avenues, Eric was confronted by an assailant who beat him before firing a gun. The attack left the teenager with critical injuries, but he remained conscious just long enough to identify his attacker to witnesses who rushed to the scene.
As friends and bystanders attempted to aid him, Eric uttered a dying declaration, repeatedly stating, 'Blako shot me,' referring to a nickname used by an acquaintance.
Emergency responders transported Eric to a local hospital where he was rushed into surgery, but he succumbed to his injuries later that night. The Allen County Coroner ruled his death a homicide caused by gunshot wounds. Investigators immediately focused their attention on the name Eric had provided in his final moments. Police learned that 'Blako' was an alias for Cameron Blake Hallett, a man who had previously accused Eric and a friend of stealing from him. Witnesses reported that Hallett had made threatening phone calls to Eric weeks prior and had blocked him on social media leading up to the fatal encounter.
Two days after the shooting, on February 21, 2020, law enforcement officers located and arrested Cameron Blake Hallett during a traffic stop. He was taken into custody and charged with murder. During the subsequent legal proceedings, prosecutors presented evidence that Hallett had lured or waited for Eric in the alley to carry out the attack. The testimony included the accounts of the witnesses who heard Eric’s final words, as well as forensic evidence linking Hallett to the crime.
In April 2022, Cameron Blake Hallett stood trial for the murder of Eric Ray McDonnell Jr. The jury returned a guilty verdict after deliberating for only 30 minutes, convicting Hallett of the charge. He was later sentenced for the crime, and although he attempted to appeal the conviction in March 2023, the Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed the lower court's decision, upholding the guilty verdict and ensuring he remained incarcerated for his role in the teenager's death.
