INDIANAPOLIS — A 19-year-old is under arrest in connection to a deadly carjacking that occurred last May.
Ronald Newman Jr. was arrested on Tuesday for his alleged role in the murder of 46-year-old Gary Underwood.
According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, officers were called to the 1800 block of N. Rural Street on Tuesday May 3, 2022, on report of a person shot. Detectives ended up finding Gary Underwood suffering from a gunshot wound. He was transported to a hospital but ended up being pronounced dead by medical staff.
Investigators believe the shooting was the result of an armed carjacking. At the time of the incident, police released photos of the alleged suspect and asked for the public to be on the lookout for the victim’s stolen. 2008 GMC Hummer H3.
The victim’s family said Underwood stopped at the Citgo on N. Rural to buy a drink and play some lottery tickets when he was shot and killed in the parking lot.
“You know he was an innocent man at the wrong place at the wrong time and a bullet took his life for no reason,” said Laura Underwood in May 2022.
Nine months after the tragedy, Gary’s widow said she’s relieved Newman Jr. has finally been arrested for the murder.
According to court records, DNA evidence helped police solve the case.
Just hours before the homicide, police believe the suspect was seen in surveillance pictures wearing a mask and blue hooded sweatshirt carjacking a second victim at a gas station on Sherman.
During that crime, the suspect stole a white Buick. That car was later recovered with a small amount of blood found inside.
That blood was then sent for testing and police claim this month the DNA results came back and tied Newman to both crimes.
“I think this speaks to the hard work of our investigators,” said IMPD officer William Young.
Officer Young said the case illustrates how some crimes just take time to solve.
“Our detectives never give up on a case and this case shows that. It took nine months and sometimes it takes longer, but our detectives work hard to bring cases to a close,” said Young.
On the day of the killing, Newman was on GPS monitoring awaiting trial for a third unrelated robbery. Newman later pleaded guilty to that crime.
Court records claim the GPS placed Newman at the scene of the robbery on Sherman, but police believe he used tin foil to prevent the GPS from tracking his location during the deadly robbery on Rural.
The suspect is being held without bond on preliminary charges of murder and robbery.
Anyone with information about the deadly carjacking is asked to contact Detective Ryan Clark at the IMPD homicide office at (317) 327-3475 or e-mail him at Ryan.Clark@indy.gov.
Jesse Wells contributed to this report.
