In the late summer of 2014, a tragic series of events unfolded in the small community of North Vernon, Indiana, culminating in the death of 61-year-old Scott Maxie, a local gun store owner. The male victim was found deceased on Sunday, September 21, 2014, inside his business, Muscatatuck Outdoors Gun Shop, which was attached to his home. An autopsy later confirmed that Maxie had died from a single gunshot wound to the head.
The investigation into the homicide quickly revealed a
meticulously planned robbery that turned deadly. A day before the murder, on September 20, 2014, three men from Indianapolis—Darryl Worthen, his brother Dejuan Worthen, and their cousin Darion Harris—visited Muscatatuck Outdoors to survey the inventory. One of the men, Darryl Worthen, was familiar with the location as he had previously delivered packages to the store as a FedEx driver. The trio returned to Indianapolis that day with a plan to rob the establishment.
The following day, the three men drove back to North Vernon to execute their plan. Upon entering the gun shop, one of the suspects disconnected a security camera. During the course of the robbery, Darryl Worthen fatally shot Scott Maxie with a. 22 caliber handgun. As Maxie lay dying, the men proceeded to steal 45 firearms, including handguns and long guns, before fleeing the scene and returning to Indianapolis. Once back in the city, they began to sell and distribute the stolen weapons.
A swift and collaborative investigation involving the Jennings County Sheriff's Department, Indiana State Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department led to the apprehension of all three suspects within 36 hours of the crime. Although 47 guns were reported stolen, only a small number were recovered at the time of the arrests.
Initially, charges were filed at the county level, but the case was later transferred to federal court to allow for the possibility of harsher sentencing. The three men faced multiple federal charges, including discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence resulting in death, robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, and theft of firearms. In November 2015, Darryl Worthen, the shooter, was sentenced to 60 years in prison. His brother, DeJuan Worthen, and their cousin, Darion Harris, each received sentences of 30 years in federal prison for their roles in the robbery and murder.
