INDIANAPOLIS — A jury convicted an Indianapolis man of felony murder and robbery resulting in serious bodily injury after a four-day trial.
Tremayne Hobson Jr., 19, of Indianapolis, was found guilty for his role in a robbery that resulted in the deadly shooting of 31-year-old Dusty Lawrence in March 2021 on the far east side of Indianapolis.
Demetrius Coakley, 19, of Indianapolis, was also charged with murder and robbery resulting in serious bodily injury. Coakley took a plea deal and will be sentenced Friday, Sept. 27 at 1 p.m.
Shortly before 3 p.m. March 28, 2021, Lawrence, along with his wife and their 5-year-old daughter, were traveling from Anderson to a home in the 3600 block of Newcastle Drive, near 38th Street and North County Line Road, to trade a gun with someone he had been communicating with through a social media app.
Prior to the incident, Lawrence had been communicating with Coakley to arrange the trade near Hobson's home.
Once parked near the home, three people approached Lawrence's car. According to Lawrence's wife, Lawrence got out of the car with his firearms case to begin the trade, and minutes later, shots were fired.
After Lawrence's wife determined he had been shot, she helped him into the passenger seat. Before leaving the scene, she placed a firearm case inside the car. He was transported to a hospital in critical condition but was pronounced dead a few hours later.
Lawrence's wife and nearby neighbors provided a description of the suspects after the shooting.
During the investigation, detectives obtained a search warrant for Hobson's home and found clothing that matched one of the people who was there at the time of the robbery.
While searching Lawrence's car, detectives recovered the firearm box and a damaged pink gun that was not Lawrence's. This gun was not involved in the trade discussions prior to the murder.
It was later learned the people who robbed and killed Lawrence had planned to trade a gun that was not one they had agreed upon. Prosecutors believe the damaged pink gun inside Lawrence's car was that gun.
"The complete lack of regulation when it comes to gun sales and trades in our state puts people in unnecessary danger," Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement. "What should have been a straightforward transaction resulted in an absolute tragedy."
Hobson's sentencing hearing is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 10 at 1 p.m.
