On a cold November evening in Indianapolis in 2015, a tragedy unfolded that cut short the lives of two women. India Barnes, a 34-year-old female, and her friend, Tomika Mack, also 34, were found shot to death in a halfway house on the city's east side. The discovery was made by Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officers who were responding to a call about a person shot in the 4100 block of East New York Street.
When they arrived, they found both women with apparent gunshot wounds, and they were pronounced dead at the scene.
The day had been marked by unrest at the residence, with police having been called to the same location for a disturbance earlier in the day. Investigators worked to determine if the earlier incident was connected to the fatal shootings that occurred later that evening. The halfway house, a place meant to be a stepping stone to a better life, had become the scene of a violent double homicide, leaving a community in shock and two families to mourn their devastating loss. Witnesses who were present at the residence were taken in for questioning as detectives began the arduous task of piecing together the events that led to the deaths of India and Tomika.
The investigation soon led law enforcement to a suspect. Eric K. Horton, a 22-year-old man, was identified as the alleged perpetrator. He was apprehended in Urbana, Illinois, and his arrest brought a sense of relief to a community on edge. Horton was subsequently charged with two counts of murder for the slayings of India Barnes and Tomika Mack. The legal proceedings that followed sought to bring justice for the two women whose lives were so violently taken. Following his trial, Eric K. Horton was convicted for his role in the deaths of India Barnes and Tomika Mack and was sentenced to serve 120 years in prison.
