On the evening of June 1, 2006, Magno Albarran, a 29-year-old Hispanic male, arrived at his family's home on North Hamilton Avenue in Indianapolis, carrying a box of takeout food. This seemingly ordinary act would be his last, as he unwittingly walked into a scene of unfolding horror that would become known as one of the city's most brutal mass murders.
Inside the residence, two men, Desmond Turner and James Stewart, were in the process of robbing the home, mistakenly believing it contained a safe with a significant amount of cash and cocaine.
Upon entering, Magno Albarran confronted one of the intruders, Desmond Turner, and drew a weapon. In response, the other intruder, James Stewart, fired his own handgun at Albarran. This initial shot triggered a violent rampage by Turner, who then proceeded to shoot everyone else in the house. A witness, who had arrived with Magno's sister, Flora, heard screaming and gunshots after Magno and Flora entered the home. Flora was heard screaming, 'Not my baby!' before more shots rang out, followed by a chilling silence.
In the aftermath, law enforcement discovered a gruesome scene with seven members of the Albarran-Covarrubias family dead, spanning three generations. The victims, in addition to Magno Albarran, were his sister Flora Albarran, 22, and her 5-year-old son Luis Albarran; his mother Emma Valdez, 46, and her partner Alberto Covarrubias, 56; and Valdez and Covarrubias's two sons, Alberto Covarrubias, 11, and David Covarrubias, 8. All the victims had been shot multiple times. The investigation quickly pointed to Desmond Turner and James Stewart as the primary suspects. Stewart was arrested the day after the murders during a traffic stop, and Turner surrendered to police two days later.
Both Desmond Turner and James Stewart were subsequently charged with seven counts of murder, along with numerous other felonies. Although the prosecutor initially sought the death penalty for Turner, this was later dropped in exchange for him waiving his right to a jury trial. Following their trials, both men were convicted. Desmond Turner was found guilty on 23 counts, including seven for murder, and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. James Stewart was also convicted on multiple counts, including seven for felony murder, and received a sentence of 425 years in prison.
