Suspect Stood Over Pregnant Pastor’s Wife After Shooting Her and Watched Her Bleed, Court Documents Say
The third suspect has not yet been publicly identified.
— -- Two people have been charged in connection with the killing of an Indiana pastor's pregnant wife during a burglary, officials said, and court documents suggested chilling details of the crimes including one of the suspects allegedly watching the victim bleed after shooting her in the head.
Larry Jo Taylor, 18, faces 13 charges in connection to the Nov. 10 slaying of Amanda Blackburn in an alleged home invasion that turned deadly, and his alleged accomplice, Jalen Watson, 21, faces nine similar charges, including murder, officials said.
The charges were filed today and neither has entered a plea. A third suspect has not been publicly identified.
Indianapolis police said in a statement that Taylor, Watson and the third suspect robbed two homes before attempting to burglarize the Blackburn home. They stole a car at the first home, police said today, and were able to get into the Blackburn home through the unlocked front door.
"As further alleged in the probable cause affidavit, Watson and the third individual are believed to have left the Blackburn home in the stolen vehicle, driving to an ATM with Amanda Blackburn's debit card. The two were in communication with Taylor, who was still at the home, via cellphones," the police statement said.
"After leaving the scene, Larry Taylor is alleged to have stated to witnesses that he killed Amanda Blackburn," according to the statement.
The probable cause affidavit includes more details of Taylor's account of what allegedly happened.
"Taylor stated she charged at him and he shot here somewhere in the upper body so he would not be scratched. Taylor then told them that he leaned over her body and shot her in the back of the head. He leaned further, looked at her face, and watched her bleed," the affidavit says.
Police reported that Blackburn was shot three times: in her left arm, upper back and head.
The affidavit says that Amanda's husband Davey Blackburn confirmed to police that he had left the front door to the house unlocked when he left for the gym that morning. Blackburn and all relatives were ruled out as suspects early on in the case.
The complaint states that when her husband found her, "she was nude with her panties next to her and her shirt pulled up as if someone tried to pull it off; however, it was not clear Blackburn had been sexually assaulted."
No sexual assault charges have been filed against either of the suspects, and Marion County prosecutor Terry Curry said today that "unless additional evidence is developed, at this point, there is... no sufficient evidence to file any sexual charges in this case."
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Rick Hite said in a statement Sunday: "We are thankful to our federal, state and local partnerships that aided in the apprehension of the suspect in this terrible and senseless crime. All victims of criminal homicides deserve closure, and as a community we must send a collective message that violence is not option."
Police said last week a handgun had been found near the home Blackburn, 28, shared with her husband and son at the time of the Nov. 10 shooting. The weapon was submitted for testing at a crime lab to determine whether it was connected with the Blackburn killing, Lt. Richard Riddle said last week.
Pastor Davey Blackburn found his wife's body when he returned from the gym, authorities said. He told ABC News' “Good Morning America” that "Amanda didn’t have an enemy in the world. I can’t imagine any reason why. That’s why this has baffled us as much as anybody," he said.
"That’s why we’re trusting the investigators. They’ve been so good to us through this whole process, trying to keep us up to speed on what they have.”