In the spring of 2017, the life of 39-year-old Jimmy McKinley came to a violent end in his Indianapolis, Indiana home. On April 17th, authorities found McKinley deceased, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds. An autopsy would later reveal he had been shot in his legs, hand, arm, and abdomen, with the fatal shot being to his trunk.
The investigation into the male victim's death quickly uncovered that he was involved in the sale of heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana.
This aspect of his life provided a motive for the tragic events that unfolded. Witnesses reported hearing several gunshots and seeing a man and a woman fleeing from McKinley's residence on Brookside Avenue. The subsequent police investigation, aided by surveillance footage, identified the two individuals as 22-year-old James Broadus and 21-year-old Brijuana Jones, both residents of Indianapolis.
The narrative that emerged was one of a robbery gone fatally wrong. According to a probable cause affidavit, Jones confessed to her and Broadus's involvement in a plan to rob McKinley. She told investigators that they had been informed by another individual, whom McKinley had previously set up for a robbery, that McKinley would be a lucrative target. On the day of the murder, Jones posed as a customer interested in purchasing marijuana. Gaining entry into McKinley's home, she asked to use the restroom, which was the apparent signal for the robbery to commence.
Following the investigation, both Broadus and Jones were apprehended. When found, Broadus was asleep in his vehicle, where police discovered individually wrapped baggies of marijuana and two cell phones. A subsequent search of an apartment connected to Broadus yielded a 9mm handgun magazine. While Broadus initially denied any part in the crime, he was ultimately convicted for the murder and robbery of Jimmy McKinley and sentenced to 55 years in prison. Jones, who had reportedly been receiving threats related to the incident, eventually confessed her role in the deadly plot, implicating both Broadus and another man.
