INDIANAPOLIS — A Marion County teen will serve the rest of his life in prison after he was convicted of shooting and killing three individuals in October 2021 on the south side of Indianapolis.
According to a news release from the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office, Caden Smith was sentenced to 189 years in prison on Friday. Smith was convicted of the following charges after a five-day trial in August:
- Three counts of murder
- Two counts of felony murder
- Two counts of robbery resulting in serious bodily injury, each a Level 2 felony
- One count of possession of methamphetamine, a Level 3 felony
- One count of dangerous possession of a machine gun, a Level 5 felony
- One misdemeanor count of dangerous possession of a firearm
- One misdemeanor count of resisting law enforcement
- One misdemeanor count of possession of marijuana.
According to previous reports, Smith killed three people over the course of two nights, including 17-year-old Abdulla Mubarak, 18-year-old Joseph Thomas and 22-year-old Michael James. Smith took the three individuals to a vacant lot in the 4400 block of South Meridian Street to show them he had a pistol modified to fire as a machine gun.
Officials with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said at the time they discovered the bodies, which had multiple gunshot wounds, on Oct. 12, 2021.
Smith was eventually identified as a suspect through his communication with the three victims before the shooting. The release said investigators eventually found the weapon used in the shooting in Smith’s home.
“Once again, the sale of unregulated firearms led to the tragic deaths of three innocent people, Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said in the release. “This significant sentence is a testament to our commitment to holding violent individuals accountable for their actions. We are grateful for today’s announcement and thanks to the dedication of our deputy prosecutors and the investigators, justice was served for Abdullah, Joseph, Michael and their families.”
