Two people in Indiana have been charged in the killing of a 26-year-old father who died in a robbery that a woman allegedly set up; he thought she was inviting him on a date.
Alexis Hawkins, 19, and her 18-year-old boyfriend, Brian Winston Jr., have been arrested and charged with murder in connection with the death of Jarrell Lamont Pryor. The victim was shot to death during the morning of Jan. 25, according to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. The single father was killed after setting up a date with Hawkins that fateful day.
When police officers arrived on the scene, they discovered Pryor lying on the ground next to a vehicle. He was taken to the local hospital, but ended up dying from the gunshot wounds he suffered as a result of the attack. Both Hawkins and Winston were suspects from the start of the investigation. A month after the crime was committed, Hawkins was arrested on Feb. 26, while Winston was apprehended and arrested in Austin, Texas, on April 2, before he was extradited to Indiana.
While investigating Pryor’s death, detectives went through his phone and discovered the messages he exchanged with Hawkins on Instagram, where the two reportedly met. Hawkins allegedly had scammed other men on the app. Based on what they retrieved, it was discovered that Pryor assumed he was making arrangements to go on a date with the 19-year-old. As stated in the affidavits, he attempted to make plans with her hours before the encounter. While she was having a conversation with the victim, she had already told Winston of previous situations where she had scammed several men. Police say after viewing those messages, it was determined she had set up Pryor to be robbed.
There was video footage showing that Pryor and Hawkins were inside a car outside a liquor store about an hour before the shooting took place. The police are unclear when Winston showed up at the scene of the crime, but did allege that he was the shooter.
Both suspects are each charged with one count of murder, one count of conspiracy to commit a robbery, and one count of attempted robbery. Winston was also hit with an additional offense of murder.
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