In the autumn of 2012, the life of Carl Milton Griffith Sr., a 72-year-old male, was brought to a violent and unexpected end in Portage, Indiana. A veteran of the US Marine Corps and a former over-the-road truck driver, Griffith was shot and killed on November 1, 2012, in what authorities would later describe as a murder-for-hire plot.
The investigation into Griffith's death revealed a complex web of relationships and motives centered around a local towing company where he worked.
The estranged wife of the company's incarcerated owner, Sheaurice Major, was reportedly unhappy with Griffith's management of the business in her husband's absence. It was this dissatisfaction that police believed led her to seek a more permanent solution.
Authorities alleged that Sheaurice Major hired Dontaye Deandre Singletary to carry out the murder of Carl Griffith. Another individual, Antoine Gates, was initially approached for the job but was taken into custody on an unrelated matter before he could act. It was then that Gates's girlfriend, Antoinetta Johnson, connected Singletary with Major. Tragically, Johnson herself was later murdered.
The investigation led to the arrest of both Sheaurice Major and Dontaye Deandre Singletary. Singletary stood trial for his role in the killing and was found guilty of felony murder. He was subsequently sentenced to 65 years in prison without the possibility of probation. Sheaurice Major also faced a trial for her alleged involvement in orchestrating the murder-for-hire plot. However, despite the evidence presented by the prosecution, including cellphone records and witness statements, the charges against her were ultimately dropped due to what the prosecutor deemed insufficient evidence to directly link her to the crime.
