Inset: Deborah Benefiel (Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department). Background: Intersection of West 38th Street and Georgetown Road in Indianapolis, Indiana, where Benefiel allegedly shot a man to death during a road rage incident (Google Maps).
A 23-year-old woman in Indiana has been taken into custody following allegations that she fatally shot a man during a road rage incident after he honked at her for not moving at a green light.
Deborah Benefiel faces charges of murder and criminal recklessness in connection with the death of 21-year-old Kentrell Settles in Indianapolis, according to information released by the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office.
In a probable cause affidavit accessed by Law&Crime, it was reported that officers from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department responded to a shots-fired call at the intersection of West 38th Street and Georgetown Road. Upon arrival, they discovered Settles in a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu with a gunshot wound to his chest. He was transported to a hospital, where he was declared deceased.
Investigators noted a single gunshot had penetrated the rear passenger side window of the vehicle. They also found a BB gun under the driver’s seat. Settles’ girlfriend, who was present during the incident, recounted that they were en route to her parents’ house when they stopped at a red light. When the light turned green, the Ford SUV ahead of them failed to move, prompting Settles to honk and drive around it.
The complaint details that “the green Ford SUV followed, with the female driver exhibiting aggressive behavior, yelling, and gesturing wildly.”
As Settles attempted to pull into a nearby shopping plaza, Benefiel, identified as the SUV driver, allegedly fired a shot into the Malibu. The girlfriend then took over the driving and continued to her parents’ home.
Cops were able to identify Benefiel and her vehicle, which had a cartoon dumpster fire bumper sticker and a “Good ‘illegible’ Today” bumper sticker on the SUV, through license plate readers.
Undercover officers spotted the vehicle and saw someone take off the stickers from the SUV and throw them into the trash, per the complaint. As Benefiel was being taken into custody, she told an officer the gun in question was in the apartment in a bag. Cops found a .40-caliber Glock handgun in a purse, according to the complaint.
An autopsy confirmed Settles died from a gunshot wound that entered his back and tore through his lung and heart. The manner of death was listed as homicide.
Benefiel declined to speak with detectives after her arrest. She remains in the Marion County Jail without bond. She’s slated to appear in court on Tuesday.
“This case is yet another tragic example of a simple dispute on our roadways turning deadly over what amounts to nothing. A moment of anger should not cost someone their life,” Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement. “This kind of senseless violence is something prosecutors and police are seeing far too often. We will continue to work together to hold those who commit senseless acts on our roadways accountable in the courtroom, but as a community we must find ways to respond to conflicts with reasonableness — not violence.”
