Background: News footage from the scene in Lawrence, Indiana, following the discovery of Darius Timberlake’s shooting death in April (WXIN). Inset: Jeremy Jett (Marion County Sheriff”s Office).
Several months after a man was shot and killed, an Indiana resident was taken into custody, with allegations suggesting the tragedy was fueled by jealousy.
Nineteen-year-old Jeremy Jett was expected to face the court on Thursday, charged with the murder of 26-year-old Darius Timberlake back in April. According to court filings obtained by local Fox affiliate WXIN, Jett allegedly shot Timberlake upon discovering him in bed with Jett’s girlfriend. The police record notes that Jett’s girlfriend recounted to officers that Jett was motivated by “jealousy.”
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According to local ABC affiliate WRTV, police responded to reports of a shooting at a home in Lawrence, Indiana, at around 3:30 a.m. on April 23. When officers arrived, they found Timberlake dead at the scene due to gunshot wounds. Reports at the time stated that a person of interest was detained at the scene for questioning but did not say who it was or whether that person was a suspect.
Just over two months later, Jett was arrested and charged with Timberlake’s murder.
According to WXIN, prosecutors said that Jett showed up at the home of his girlfriend to find her in bed with another man. That man was Timberlake, and Jett allegedly pulled a gun on him. The two men reportedly fought over the gun before Jett fired the fatal shots.
Court documents stated that Jett waited more than half an hour before calling 911 and then claimed the shooting was an accident.
When police spoke to Jett’s girlfriend, she had a different telling of the apparent altercation. According to the probable cause affidavit, she told police that she did not believe the shooting was an accident. She stated that Jett was “jealous and accused her of cheating.” When he found her in bed with Timberlake, he repeatedly asked her, “Why are you laid up next to him?”
An investigation into Jett’s social media activity also raised suspicion. According to the probable cause affidavit, Jett allegedly told a friend on Instagram before he was arrested on Monday that he was going to claim that he shot Timberlake in self-defense.
Jett was charged with one count of murder and is being held at the Marion County Jail without bond. He was scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.
