In the early morning hours of April 30, 2015, the life of 42-year-old Gilbert Engle, a male resident of Seymour, Indiana, was tragically cut short in his downtown apartment. Engle was found deceased at the scene, the victim of a single gunshot wound to the chest, an act that the Jackson County Coroner would later rule a homicide. What began as a night of socializing with acquaintances spiraled into a fatal robbery, leaving a family and community to mourn a man remembered as a devoted father and
a beloved friend.
The investigation into Engle's death moved swiftly, and within 36 hours, law enforcement had three individuals from the nearby town of North Vernon in custody. Investigators identified Daniel L. Combs, then 32, as the person who fired the fatal shot, using a 9-millimeter handgun that belonged to Engle himself. Also implicated were Jessica L. Jarrell, 21 at the time, and Andrea M. Hollin, 25. The trio had been with Engle and his roommate in his second-floor apartment on North Chestnut Street in the hours leading up to the shooting.
What was initially a gathering of people who had been 'running around together' took a dark turn. While Combs and Jarrell were inside the apartment with Engle, Hollin and Engle's roommate were outside when they heard two gunshots. In the ensuing chaos, Combs and Jarrell stole drugs and approximately $300 worth of methamphetamine from the apartment. The three suspects then fled the scene in a stolen PT Cruiser. Engle's roommate placed a call to the police at approximately 6:05 a.m. to report the shooting.
The collaborative efforts of multiple law enforcement agencies led to the quick apprehension of the suspects. Andrea Hollin, who initially presented herself as a witness, was arrested after investigators found inconsistencies in her account and she admitted her involvement. Jessica Jarrell turned herself in to the Seymour Police Department with the assistance of the Jennings County Sheriff's Department. Daniel Combs was located and arrested at the Hamilton County Jail in Noblesville, where he was being held on an unrelated drug charge. The murder weapon was also recovered.
In the subsequent legal proceedings, all three faced the consequences of their actions. Daniel L. Combs, the shooter, pleaded guilty and received a 20-year prison sentence, which included 16 years for a Level 3 felony conviction for possession of methamphetamine and an additional four years for assisting a criminal. As part of a plea agreement, several other charges against him, including two counts of murder, were dropped. Jessica L. Jarrell pleaded guilty to robbery resulting in a serious bodily injury and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Andrea M. Hollin received a nine-year sentence for conspiracy to commit armed robbery. The tragic and senseless death of Gilbert Engle, described by his loved ones as an outgoing and funny man who was always there to help others, left a void in the lives of his two children and all who knew him.
