On a tragic evening in Indianapolis, Indiana, the life of 56-year-old Alberto Covarrubias was brutally cut short in a horrifying act of violence that also claimed the lives of six of his family members. The male victim, born in Zacatecas, Mexico, was a maintenance supervisor and was known as a good neighbor who had lived in the community for over a decade.
The horrific event, which would come to be known as the Hamilton Avenue murders, unfolded on June 1, 2006.
That night, two men, driven by the false belief that a large sum of cash and cocaine were hidden in the home, entered the residence on North Hamilton Avenue. The intended robbery quickly escalated into a massacre. Using a military-style weapon, the perpetrators shot and killed everyone they found inside. When police responded to a 911 call just after 10:00 p.m., they discovered a scene of unimaginable horror. Seven people lay dead, including three children.
The victims were identified as Alberto Covarrubias; his wife, Emma Valdez; their two sons, Alberto Jr., 11, and David, 8; and other family members Flora Albarran, 22, her five-year-old son Luis, and Magno Albarran, 29. The sheer brutality of the crime sent shockwaves through the Indianapolis community and left friends and neighbors in a state of grief and disbelief. One neighbor recounted how Mr. Covarrubias had been at his house just minutes before the killings, checking on his health.
The investigation swiftly led to the identification of two suspects: James Stewart and Desmond Turner. Stewart was apprehended the day after the murders. A widespread manhunt was launched for Turner, who had recently been released from prison, and he was captured two days later. Both men were charged with seven counts of murder, felony murder, criminal confinement, robbery, and burglary.
During the subsequent trial, prosecutors argued that the motive for the mass murder was a robbery plot that went horribly wrong. Despite the intruders' belief, no significant amount of cash or any drugs were ever found at the home. Desmond Turner was ultimately convicted on all counts and received a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 88 years. The outcome of James Stewart's trial was to be determined later. The senseless violence of that June night left an indelible scar on the city, a tragic end to the lives of Alberto Covarrubias and his beloved family.
