In the winter of 2017, the city of Indianapolis was marked by a grim milestone, and at the heart of it was the tragic death of 50-year-old Albert Ford. On the evening of December 20th, the sharp crack of gunshots echoed through the 4100 block of Newburgh Drive, a neighborhood near East 42nd Street and Mitthoeffer Road. When police arrived, they discovered Ford's body lying on the sidewalk, having sustained several gunshot wounds.
His death was recorded as the 151st criminal homicide in Indianapolis that year, a somber record for the city.
The investigation into the shooting quickly pointed to a familial dispute. Witnesses at the scene reported that Ford had been engaged in a heated argument with his nephew, Larry Spivey. According to their accounts, as Ford turned and began to walk away from the confrontation, Spivey allegedly drew a weapon and shot his uncle in the back. The callousness of the act sent shockwaves through the community and left a family torn apart by violence.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Larry Spivey, then 24 years old, fled the scene. A manhunt ensued, and just two days later, law enforcement officers located and apprehended him in Chicago. Spivey was arrested and charged with the murder of his uncle, Albert Ford. The legal proceedings that followed brought the details of that tragic evening to light, culminating in a conviction. In June 2019, a jury found Larry Spivey guilty of the murder of his uncle, bringing a measure of closure to a case that began with a senseless act of violence during what should have been a season of peace.
