In the winter of 2018, the life of 49-year-old Catrina Russell, a Black/African American female from Indianapolis, Indiana, was tragically cut short. On the afternoon of January 28th, police were called to a parking lot in the 2800 block of East New York Street, where they discovered Catrina with a fatal gunshot wound. Medics arrived at the scene but were unable to save her, and she was pronounced dead.
Witnesses at the scene reported seeing a gray Lexus sedan leaving the area shortly after the incident.
The investigation into Catrina's death quickly centered on her boyfriend, Fredrick Ford. According to Catrina's daughter, her mother had been making plans to leave Ford and had informed him just two days prior to her death that he needed to find a new place to live. This information, coupled with Ford's own history, which included boasts of being 'a killer and a robber,' pointed detectives in his direction. He was identified as the last person believed to have seen Catrina alive.
Further investigation revealed a chilling sequence of events. Court documents stated that Ford shot Catrina before pushing her out of her own car. Surveillance footage from the area captured the vehicle driving over her body as it fled the scene. The abandoned Lexus was later found by police in the 1500 block of N. Kealing Avenue.
Fredrick Ford was arrested shortly after the murder. In October 2019, he was found guilty of the murder of Catrina Russell and was sentenced to 64 years in prison for his crime. The tragic end to Catrina's life serves as a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of domestic violence.
