In the summer of 2015, the life of Shane Breedlove, a 41-year-old White/Caucasian male, was tragically cut short in Evansville, Indiana. A well-known and beloved musician and club DJ in the local scene, Breedlove was walking to his job at KC's Time Out Lounge & Grill on the evening of July 19, 2015. At approximately 9:30 p.m., while on Washington Avenue, he was shot and killed.
He was pronounced dead at the scene, where several shell casings were discovered nearby, and his death was officially ruled a homicide.
The investigation into Breedlove's murder initially left the community searching for answers, with no immediate suspects or motives released to the public. However, the case saw a significant development on August 10, 2015, when Evansville Police Department detectives and SWAT teams arrested three individuals in connection with the killing. Those taken into custody were Derrick Murray, described as a known gang member, along with Bobby John Handegard and his 19-year-old son, Bobby Michael Handegard. The unsealing of arrest warrants revealed a potential motive: Breedlove had previously testified against a business associate of Bobby John Handegard in a battery trial.
Despite the initial charges of murder, the path to justice proved to be fraught with challenges. In a turn of events that frustrated Breedlove's family and friends, the charges against all three men were dropped in October 2015 due to a lack of sufficient evidence. The prosecution's case was reportedly built on information from the teenage girlfriend of Bobby Michael Handegard, jailhouse recordings, and the testimony of another inmate, which ultimately was not enough to proceed to trial. This decision left the investigation in a state of limbo and the community's hope for closure diminished.
For years, the case remained cold, though Shane Breedlove's family, particularly his mother, continued to advocate for justice, holding vigils and keeping his memory alive in the public eye. Their persistence appeared to pay off nearly a decade later when, in March 2025, a grand jury indicted Bobby Handegard Jr. for the murder of Shane Breedlove. Handegard, who was one of the original suspects, turned himself in to the authorities. This renewed legal action was reportedly the result of new evidence being presented to the grand jury, breathing new life into the long-unsolved case and offering a renewed glimmer of hope to a family that had waited years for a breakthrough.
