In a tragic turn of events stemming from a bitter family dispute, 37-year-old Samuel Douglas Westlake, a male millwright union worker and artist, was killed on February 19, 2018, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The conflict that led to his untimely death revolved around a woman with whom both he and his half-brother, Joshua R. Mackin, were romantically involved.
The tension between the two had been escalating, with Mackin reportedly making threats to kill Westlake, causing Westlake to express fear for his life to others.
On the day of the incident, Westlake was at the Suburban Extended Stay Hotel to pick up a friend's truck. Mackin was also present, and the two men were in separate trucks parked side-by-side. An argument that had started earlier in the day continued, culminating in Mackin firing a gun from his truck, fatally wounding Westlake. A witness was present in the passenger seat of Mackin's vehicle at the time of the shooting. Westlake was discovered around 2 p.m. in his dark gray Jeep, which had its windows shot out. The evidence gathered from witnesses and surveillance footage from the hotel's video cameras corroborated the sequence of events.
Following an investigation, Joshua R. Mackin, who was 33 years old at the time, was arrested at his home on North Shore Drive on the morning of March 2nd. He was subsequently charged with murder. Mackin was held at the Allen County Jail without bail. During his trial, the jury found him guilty of murder, and he received a significant prison sentence. His conviction was later upheld on appeal, solidifying the legal conclusion to this fatal family feud.
