John Austin 'Jac' Clements, an 82-year-old male resident of Zionsville, Indiana, was fatally shot on the morning of September 28, 2016, in a seemingly random act of violence as he walked to his mailbox. The sudden and senseless nature of the crime left the Zionsville community in a state of fear and uncertainty. Investigators were initially faced with a vague description of the suspect and the getaway car, leaving them with few leads in the early stages of the investigation.
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significant breakthrough in the case came from a series of apparently unrelated shootings. In the weeks following Clements' death, two Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department headquarters buildings were targeted by gunfire. At these scenes, the shooter left behind notes containing hate speech and demanding money, along with crucial DNA evidence on shell casings. This evidence proved to be the key to unlocking the mystery of Clements' murder. Investigators were able to match the shell casings from the police station shootings to those found at the scene of Clements' homicide.
The DNA collected from the evidence at the police station shootings eventually led investigators to 21-year-old Damoine Wilcoxson of Indianapolis. He was arrested on October 31, 2016, after firing at officers who were attempting to apprehend him. The firearm in his possession at the time of his arrest was forensically confirmed to be the weapon used in all four shootings, including the murder of John Clements. Further investigation of his cell phone's GPS data also placed him at the scene of the Zionsville murder.
In February 2019, following a two-day bench trial, Damoine Wilcoxson was found guilty of the murder of John Clements. During the sentencing hearing, the judge described the crime as a 'senseless and shocking' and 'truly despicable act with a truly innocent victim,' noting Wilcoxson's lack of remorse and significant criminal history. Wilcoxson was sentenced to 65 years in prison for the murder. This sentence was to be served in addition to a 37-year sentence he was already serving for the shootings at the police headquarters. The conviction and lengthy sentence brought a measure of closure to the family of John Clements and the community of Zionsville.
