INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis man arrested for a Jan. 30 murder on the north side was at the same apartment complex just four days before the deadly shooting.
Police arrested 20-year-old Jermerrell Hubbard Jan. 26 for having a gun illegally as a convicted felon, but his timeline in the Marion County criminal justice system raises more questions about repeat offenders getting back on the streets.
About 1 p.m. Monday, 20-year-old Brian Ward Jr. was found shot and killed at the Carlton Apartments. On Tuesday, IMPD officers arrested Hubbard for the second time in less than a week.
These are the events in Hubbard’s court records in just the past two weeks:
- Jan. 20: Hubbard was sentenced to almost a year probation for dealing marijuana.
- Jan. 26: IMPD officers were called to the Carlton Apartments at about 5:30 p.m. about a suspicious car parked and running for over 24 hours. Two men wearing ski masks were inside the car. That evening Hubbard was arrested for unlawful possession of a handgun as a convicted felon.
- Jan. 27: The very next day just after noon, Hubbard was released on a $150 cash bond.
- Jan. 28: The prosecutor's office asked for a seven-day hold on Hubbard, which Magistrate Terrance Tharp denied because Hubbard was already free.
- Jan. 30: Released on Friday, Hubbard was allegedly back at the Carlton Apartments Monday. A man was shot and killed involving the same vehicle description as last week's arrest.
- Jan. 31: Tuesday, police located the car and arrested Hubbard for murder and robbery.
The Marion Superior Court Administrator Emily VanOsdol provided a statement on the issue:
“Hubbard was arrested for a Class A misdemeanor on January 26, 2023, and booked in at 8:05 p.m. Based on the misdemeanor arresting charge, his bond was set at $150 cash. Mr. Hubbard's bond was posted at 9:26 a.m. on January 27, 2023, and, as a result of the bond payment, he was released from custody. On January 28, 2023, two days after his original misdemeanor arrest, the Marion County Prosecutor's Office filed a level 5 felony against Mr. Hubbard and requested that he be put on a seven-day hold. The request for the seven-day hold was determined moot by a judicial officer because Mr. Hubbard had already been released from custody after his bond was posted based on the misdemeanor arrest and prior to charges being filed.
The Bonds Assessment Reporting System (BARS) mirrors the local bail schedule approved by the Marion Superior Court Judiciary. The BARS system is only used for misdemeanor and level 6 arrests. The County's bail schedule can be located here.”
The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office responded to our questions:
"Our office filed the case and appropriate documents as soon as the investigation was presented to our office by law enforcement. Prosecutor Mears has been outspoken on the challenges that the current bond system presents.”
Hubbard is not yet formally charged in the murder.