In the late hours of April 22, 2014, Kevin Thomas Coughlin, a 55-year-old White/Caucasian male, drove his gray Pontiac Vibe to a Chase Bank in Marion County, Indiana. He was there to withdraw $300 for a companion to purchase methamphetamine. After Coughlin gave the money to his associate, who then left to make the purchase, surveillance footage captured two individuals approaching the bank. Shortly after, at 10:43 p.m., Coughlin's vehicle was seen driving away from the bank.
When his companion returned about thirty minutes later, both Coughlin and his car were gone.
Around 12:30 a.m. on April 23, 2014, residents near an alley off West 34th Street in Indianapolis were startled by the sound of five gunshots. Police responded to a 911 call and discovered a man's body in the middle of the alley. The victim, later identified as Kevin Coughlin, had been bound at the wrists and ankles with cables, had a cloth in his mouth, and had sustained six gunshot wounds. The initial motive for the brutal crime was determined to be robbery. In the days following the discovery, police released a sketch of the victim to the public, which aided in his identification.
The investigation led police to 22-year-old Anthony Spearman. Eight days after the murder, Spearman was found driving Coughlin's Pontiac Vibe. A search of Spearman's phone revealed its proximity to the bank where Coughlin withdrew money, the alley where his body was found, and Coughlin's ransacked home on the day of the murder. The phone's search history included queries about selling cars without a title and news articles about the murder. Furthermore, the phone contained pictures of a nine-millimeter Smith & Wesson handgun, the same type of weapon used to kill Coughlin. A live nine-millimeter round was also found among Spearman's belongings.
Anthony Spearman was arrested on May 1, 2014, and subsequently charged with murder, felony murder, robbery, and criminal confinement. On October 29, 2015, following a bench trial in which he waived his right to a jury, Spearman was found guilty on all counts. The court of appeals later affirmed the convictions. Kevin Coughlin, described by his family as a generous, loving, and creative person, was laid to rest in St. Patrick Countryside Cemetery in McHenry, Illinois, following a funeral service on May 2, 2014.
