In the early morning hours of October 7, 2018, William Jeremy-Simmons, a 30-year-old male, was fatally shot at the Always Inn on the east side of Indianapolis. Police responded to a call around 2:30 a.m. and discovered Simmons with apparent gunshot wounds. Despite the efforts of medics, he was pronounced dead at the scene. The investigation into his death quickly revealed the incident was a robbery that had escalated to murder.
Two men, David Wood and Damen Lake, were identified as
suspects in the case. According to reports, Lake and another man entered a hotel room where Simmons was with two women. They demanded drugs from Simmons, who attempted to defend himself with a baseball bat. In response, Lake shot Simmons. Following the shooting, Lake threatened the two women with the gun, demanding money. The assailants then fled the scene with drugs, money, and a cellphone.
The cooperation of the two female witnesses proved crucial to the investigation. They were able to identify Damen Lake as the shooter, which led to his arrest just two days after the incident. Lawrence Police officers found Lake asleep in a vehicle with the murder weapon on his lap. His accomplice, David Wood, was also taken into custody for his role in the robbery.
Damen Lake was later convicted of murder, three felony counts of armed robbery, and felony possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon. For his crimes, he was sentenced to 78 years in prison. David Wood pleaded guilty to two counts of armed robbery and received a 30-year sentence, with 22 years to be served in the Indiana Department of Correction. The successful prosecution of both men was attributed to the valuable testimony of the surviving victims.
