INDIANAPOLIS — A man has been sentenced for his role in a deadly shooting of a 16-year-old Ben Davis High School student in April 2022.
A judge sentenced Jayden Jennings to 25 years at the Indiana Department of Correction after he accepted a plea deal. With the plea agreement, murder and robbery charges were dropped, and Jennings was convicted of voluntary manslaughter.
Police also arrested another suspect in the incident, Keith Miller, who filed for a plea agreement in April 2024. Miller's jury trial was canceled, and his sentencing hearing is scheduled for Thursday, May 16.
Around 10 p.m. on April 10, 2022, IMPD officers responded to a report of person shot in the 5600 block of East 30th Street, near North Ritter Avenue.
Officers arrived and located 16-year-old Michael Duerson III, who had been shot. Medics transported Duerson to a hospital in critical condition, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arriving.
Investigators believe the incident involved the sale of a gun, which was used during the fight.
Detectives were able to identify then-18-year-old Jennings and then-19-year-old Miller as the suspects, thanks to help from the community and tips provided.
Shortly after Duerson died, family and friends went back to the area where he was killed to release balloons, lay flowers, pray and mourn his loss.
His loved ones said the Ben Davis High School student loved playing sports and especially loved his family.
