A $40 lawn care bill ultimately escalated from a dispute into a police shooting, resulting in the deaths of two people and the suspect being sentenced to nearly 100 years in prison.
The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office announced Monday that Michael Hendricks has been sentenced to a combined 90 years in prison. Hendricks pleaded guilty to two murder charges.
On March 28, News 8 reported that James McGuire, 48, was found shot and died at a home in the 1300 block of Riley Place on Indianapolis’ southeast side. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department also reported that a man, later identified as David Doty, was outside the home with a gunshot wound.
Doty was transported to the hospital in critical condition but died of his injuries in June.
IMPD officers noticed Hendricks while investigating the shooting. He raised his weapon and was shot by an IMPD officer.
The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office says “the shooting occurred over a financial dispute of $40 for lawn care.”
“We have two individuals who lost their lives and a man now serving nearly 100 years behind bars over what literally amounted to $40— that is absolutely devastating,” Prosecutor Ryan Mears wrote in the press release. “Today’s resolution provides swift accountability and a sense of justice for the McGuire and Doty families without the prolonged trial process.”
