In the spring of 2019, a visit between childhood friends from Chicago took a tragic turn in Fort Wayne, Indiana, ending the life of 23-year-old Darius McMorris. A Black male, McMorris had traveled with three friends, Christopher Ellis, Alfonso Rogers, and Jacob Reed, to visit Antoine L. Kelley Jr. at his Fort Wayne home in late March. The group, who all grew up in the same Chicago neighborhood, were there to socialize and help Kelley move.
However, the atmosphere grew tense as friends noticed Kelley becoming increasingly paranoid and nervous, pacing and claiming people were out to get him.
On the morning of April 1, 2019, the situation escalated with deadly consequences. While McMorris was in the bathroom, Kelley approached the door and fired multiple shots, striking him four times. One bullet hit McMorris in the back. Ellis and Rogers witnessed Kelley back out of the house with his handgun pointed at them before he fled the scene. The horrified friends rushed to a nearby gas station to call the police and, fearing for their own lives, immediately took a bus back to Chicago. Fort Wayne police were dispatched to the residence at 5419 S. Harrison St. just after noon, where they discovered McMorris unresponsive inside. An autopsy later confirmed he died from gunshot wounds, and his death was ruled a homicide.
The investigation quickly identified Antoine Kelley as the suspect. After the shooting, Kelley drove to Tennessee, where his girlfriend lived, disposing of the murder weapon somewhere along the highway. A few days later, he was apprehended in Tennessee and extradited back to Indiana to face charges. On April 10, 2019, the State formally charged Kelley with murder, adding a sentence enhancement for using a firearm in the commission of the crime.
During his trial in August 2019, Antoine Kelley took the stand in his own defense, claiming he acted in self-defense. He testified that he had become suspicious his friends were plotting to rob him and believed McMorris was reaching for a second gun inside the house. However, the testimony from Ellis, Rogers, and Reed contradicted this, as they stated they saw no argument or altercation before Kelley opened fire. After nearly six hours of deliberation, the jury found Kelley guilty of murder. In September 2019, he was sentenced to 70 years in prison, receiving 60 years for the murder and an additional 10 years for the firearm enhancement.
