JOHNSON COUNTY, Ind. — A Johnson County jury found a man guilty of attempted murder in connection to the shooting of a man in front of his wife outside their Morgantown residence two years ago.
The Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office announced Wednesday night that Nicholas Saunders, 20, was found guilty of attempted murder (level 1 felony) and two counts of pointing a firearm (level 6 felony).
After the jury returned their verdict, Saunders reportedly “leapt up and fled the courtroom” before he was apprehended by deputies in the stairwell, JCPO said.
JCSO added that attempted murder can result in a prison sentence of up to 40 years while pointing a firearm is punishable by up to two years in prison. Saunders was also found guilty of utilizing a firearm enhancement, which can lead to an additional sentence of 20 years.
According to previous reports, police were called to the 800 block of S. 800 W. in Morgantown on Aug. 7, 2022, in response to a person being shot. Police found a 38-year-old man who was suffering from at least five gunshot wounds. Saunders also pointed the firearm at the man’s wife before fleeing the area, JCPO said.
19-year-old Miranda Lawson was also in the vehicle with Saunders when the shooting occurred.
Court documents later revealed that Saunders and Lawson had driven by the victim’s residence multiple times honking and shouting in a dark blue Ford Taurus.
Saunders then pulled the Taurus into the victim’s driveway and he and Lawson exited the vehicle and began confronting the victim’s wife. At one point during the altercation, Saunders pointed his firearm at the victim’s wife.
The victim told police that he told Saunders to put the gun down before Saunders reportedly shot him multiple times while only standing a few feet away. The victim and his wife were unloading their Jeep from a trailer in their driveway before the incident.
Police later arrested Saunders in Elizabethtown. While in custody, Saunders reportedly admitted to investigators that he shot the victim, court documents said.
Investigators found Lawson in a home on Mahalasville Road when she was taken into custody. Lawson allegedly admitted that she had been in a relationship with the victim and Saunders, court documents said.
Lawson was arrested and charged with false reporting. She later posted a bond and was released from jail.
Saunders has also been charged with attempted murder, aggravated battery and battery with a deadly weapon for his role in a shooting that took place in Bloomington on July 11, 2022.
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office first learned of the Bloomington shooting while investigating what led to the incident in Morgantown. While Johnson County investigators searched Saunders’ phone for evidence, they discovered a Snapchat conversation where Saunders admitted to shooting someone in the chest.
In the Bloomington shooting, the victim reportedly told police that someone inside a silver Ford Taurus called him a “crackhead” and as he approached the vehicle, he was shot once in the chest in the 400 block of South Walnut Street.
“I am very pleased with this verdict,” said Johnson County Prosecutor Lance Hamner. “It will doubtless result in a decades-long prison sentence for Mr. Saunders sending a strong message to dangerous individuals that we will not tolerate vicious criminals in Johnson County.”
Saunders remains in custody at the Johnson County Jail and is set to be sentenced on April 4.
