In a tragic turn of events on June 1, 2017, in Indianapolis, Indiana, 64-year-old Mark Higgins, a male, was found deceased in a home on the east side of the city. His death was part of a horrifying triple homicide that also claimed the lives of his 33-year-old son, Keith F. Higgins, and a 34-year-old woman named Jessica Carte. The discovery was made after one of the victims failed to show up for work, prompting a welfare check at the residence on Forsythia Drive.
Neighbors later recounted hearing gunfire in the early morning hours on the day the bodies were found.
The investigation into the brutal slayings led authorities to a suspect, Kenneth Lancaster, who was 24 years old at the time he was charged in connection with the deaths. Lancaster was already incarcerated in Hamilton County on unrelated charges when he was formally accused of the murders. The motive for the killings appeared to be linked to a dispute over a car. A witness informed investigators that Lancaster had been making payments to Jessica Carte for a vehicle that had been repossessed. The witness stated that Lancaster believed Carte was using the money for drugs, which led to a confrontation.
In November 2019, a jury found Kenneth Lancaster guilty on three counts of murder for the deaths of Mark Higgins, Keith Higgins, and Jessica Carte. Court documents revealed that the three victims had been shot 'execution style.' The conviction brought a measure of closure to a case that had shocked the community and left a family devastated by the loss of two of its members. Mark Higgins was remembered as a man dedicated to his work and family, who enjoyed riding his motorcycle and playing the guitar.
