In the early morning hours of July 18, 2018, a tragedy unfolded in Evansville, Indiana, that cut short the life of 23-year-old Kevin Josue Colon Colon. Evansville Police were called to Sam's Food Mart on Washington Avenue around 4:00 a.m. for what was initially reported as a possible overdose. Upon arrival, they discovered Colon with a gunshot wound to the chest. He was rushed to a local hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival.
The Vanderburgh County Coroner's Office later confirmed that Colon's death was a homicide caused by the gunshot wound.
Investigators soon determined that Kevin Colon was the victim of an attempted robbery that turned fatal. The investigation led to the swift arrest of two teenagers, a 15-year-old and a 16-year-old, in connection with the shooting. The older of the two, Jahkei Mitchell, was waived to adult court and faced charges of Murder and Conspiracy to Commit Armed Robbery. The younger teenager was initially held at the Youth Care Center on juvenile charges of Murder and Attempted Robbery.
The legal proceedings that followed brought some measure of justice for Colon's family. The second teenager, Paris Cornell, also 16, was tried as an adult and ultimately convicted of murder and other charges related to the slaying. In a decision that underscored the gravity of the crime, a Vanderburgh County magistrate sentenced Cornell to a total of 62 years in prison. This sentence comprised 52 years for the murder conviction and an additional 10 years for the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
The other teenager involved, Jahkei Mitchell, reached a plea agreement with prosecutors. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery, and in exchange, the charges of murder and attempted armed robbery were dropped. Mitchell received a three-year sentence for his role in the events that led to Kevin Colon's death. During the sentencing for Paris Cornell, Kevin's older brother, Luis Colon, spoke of the profound and lasting grief the family has endured as a result of their loss.
