On August 28, 2015, police in Greenwood, Indiana, responded to a report of shots fired at the Woodale Terrace apartments, also known as the Park Greenwood apartment complex, situated near U.S. 31 and Fry Road. Upon arriving at the scene around 3:40 p.m., officers discovered the body of 20-year-old Douglas Lane inside one of the units. Lane, a male resident of nearby Bargersville, had suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head.
Investigators determined that the shooting was not a random act of violence but the tragic conclusion of a drug transaction that had been orchestrated through social media.
The investigation revealed that Lane had arranged to meet with an individual to purchase a large quantity of marijuana for approximately $3,200. However, the seller had no intention of completing the sale and instead planned to rob the victim of his cash. When the two met at the apartment complex, the encounter turned deadly. The assailant, identified as Marcus Hardy, robbed Lane and shot him at close range before fleeing the scene. Authorities were able to track Hardy's movements by tracing Lane's stolen cellphone, which eventually led U.S. Marshals to locate him in Merrillville, Indiana, in the northwest part of the state.
Marcus Hardy, a 29-year-old man from Indianapolis, was arrested and charged with murder and robbery. During the subsequent legal proceedings, prosecutors presented evidence that Hardy had been tipped off by an acquaintance that Lane would be an easy target for a robbery. Hardy pleaded not guilty, and the case went to a jury trial in Johnson County. The jury ultimately convicted Hardy of murder and armed robbery, a Level 3 felony. The court handed down a sentence of 65 years for the murder charge and 16 years for the robbery count, ordering the terms to be served concurrently for a total sentence of 65 years in prison.
