In the autumn of 2017, the life of 64-year-old Dallis Coleman was brought to a tragic and violent end in his Indianapolis home. On the morning of October 17th, a concerned relative, unable to reach him, went to his residence on Daniel Drive and discovered a grim scene. Coleman was found deceased inside, having suffered a fatal gunshot wound. The state of his house, which had been ransacked, immediately suggested to investigators that this was more than just a senseless act of violence; it was a
robbery gone horribly wrong.
The investigation into the death of the beloved father and grandfather quickly gained momentum. Detectives with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department learned that on the evening of October 16, 2017, Coleman had been seen on a neighbor's surveillance camera arriving home with two women. Not long after, a distinctive Toyota Camry with a mismatched rear passenger door was recorded pulling up to the residence. This vehicle would become a key piece of evidence in unraveling the events of that night. Investigators discovered that after Coleman's death, his debit card had been used at multiple locations, and surveillance footage from those businesses linked the transactions to the same Toyota Camry.
The pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place, leading detectives to two teenage suspects: 18-year-old D'Andrae Robinson and 17-year-old Christopher Taliefer. A confidential informant revealed to authorities that the two had planned to rob Coleman. According to court records, Robinson and Taliefer entered Coleman's home, ransacked the property in search of valuables, and ultimately shot him while he was on his hands and knees. After the murder, they fled the scene in Coleman's 2014 Kia Soul. The stolen vehicle was later spotted by an off-duty police officer.
Both Robinson and Taliefer were arrested and faced a slew of serious charges, including murder, robbery, and burglary, with Robinson also being charged with carrying a handgun without a license. They were held without bond at the Marion County Jail. The arrests brought a measure of closure to a grieving family and a community shaken by a wave of violence that had seen 14 homicides in Indianapolis during that month alone.
