PLAINFIELD, Ind. — A man wanted in a double homicide in Plainfield in 2022 was arrested in Massachusetts.
Dalonny Rodgers was wanted for preliminary charges of murder and attempted murder after two men were killed and two others were hurt in a shooting Sept. 10, 2022.
Plainfield police believe Rodgers is responsible for the shooting of four men in the motel parking lot at the White House Suites.
The Hendricks County coroner identified the victims as 52-year-old Alfredo Garcia and 34-year-old Jose Rolando Castaneda Varela. Both men are from Texas. Two other men were hospitalized with gunshot wounds.
According to court documents, five men had been hanging outside the hotel, playing music and drinking. A witness and the surviving victims told investigators that – while they were hanging out – Rodgers approached them, put his arms around them, patted them on the chest and laughed in their faces.
According to court documents, the men said Rodgers walked away and then came back and did the same thing. As he left the second time, a witness said Rodgers shouted "F**k Latinos." When he returned a third time, the men said Rodgers opened fire on them. A witness told police they heard about 11 shots.
Rodgers faces two counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder.
NOTE: The above video is from a previous report on Rodgers criminal background.
According to police, officers in Massachusetts came across Rodgers during a stolen car investigation.
He was arrested for larceny of a motor vehicle, resisting arrest, assault and battery on a police officer, furnishing a false ID, and marijuana possession.
Rodgers faces pending charges in Massachusetts before extradition to Indiana.
“We are pleased to have this suspect in custody and to be progressing to the next phase of the case, which we believe will result in a sentence that brings justice to the victims, their families, and our community. Those who commit acts of violence will be held accountable to the letter of the law,” said Plainfield Police Chief Kyle Prewitt.
Rodgers criminal history
Rodgers also faced a murder charge in an Oct. 29, 2014 incident. But court records show that murder and aggravated battery charges were dismissed in a plea agreement. Rodgers pleaded guilty to reckless homicide and carrying a handgun without a license. He received a five-year prison sentence, plus four years in community corrections.
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Rodgers began work release with Marion County Community Corrections at Duvall Residential Center in Indianapolis in April 2018. But he lasted less than four months in the program before failing to return to the center one day.
In a letter to the judge explaining his actions, Rodgers said, "My family has been going through some rough times, and me coming home has been a huge lift in their spirits."
But the judge sent him back to the Putnamville Correctional Facility. Rodgers served the rest of his amended sentence and was released in June 2021 on probation.
In November, court records say he was found passed out in a running car in the turn lane on Rockville Road at Lynhurst Drive. In another plea agreement, he served one day in jail for operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
But the arrest and failed drug tests with THC in his system were probation violations. A warrant was issued for Rodgers' arrest Jan. 24. So almost nine months have passed that Rodgers could have, or perhaps should have, been back in jail.
Plainfield police have not released any information on why they believe Rodgers is responsible for the shootings last weekend. Rodgers is still at large.