In an Indianapolis apartment on a tragic Friday morning, the lives of 16-year-old Nicholas Nelson and his 15-year-old sister, Ashlynn, were cut short by gunfire. The male teenager was a student at Lawrence North High School along with his sister. The incident, which occurred on August 23, 2019, unfolded in their Post Brook Apartment on the far east side of the city.
Initial beliefs by the family suggested the siblings were victims of a robbery gone wrong, thinking a planned sale of a
cellphone to Nicholas was merely a pretense for a setup. However, the narrative shifted as the investigation progressed. A 15-year-old suspect was arrested the following Monday. This individual, later identified as Lometreus Sanders, claimed he had been dating Ashlynn and had gone to the apartment to see her.
According to Sanders' account to the police, a confrontation erupted with Nicholas in Ashlynn's bedroom. He alleged that Nicholas pointed a gun at him, leading to a struggle during which the gun discharged multiple times, striking Nicholas. Sanders then claimed Ashlynn attacked him, and he proceeded to shoot her and then her brother again. Despite his age, the Marion County Deputy Prosecutor filed a motion to have the case moved to adult court.
Ultimately, Lometreus Sanders, then 16, confessed to the killings and accepted a plea agreement. He pleaded guilty to two counts of murder and was sentenced to 45 years for each, to be served concurrently. He is expected to spend 40 years in prison, followed by five years of home detention. During the sentencing, the siblings' mother, Antonia Bailey, expressed that while she initially had ill feelings towards Sanders, she had let them go and hoped he would change his life while incarcerated.
