Make wishtv.com your home page

Man gets 80 years for social media harassment, shootings

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A man who admitted creating Facebook profiles to harass people on the south side of Indianapolis, which led to two shootings, was sentenced to 80 years in prison Friday, according to the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office.

Danny Cherry was convicted by a jury on April 2 on 23 felonies, including attempted murder, stalking, intimidation and child exploitation.

Cherry portrayed himself as young men and women on multiple Facebook accounts in an attempt to obtain addresses and phone numbers of victims. He specifically targeted young people of Asian descent.

He then made phone calls and sent Facebook messages, trying to get victims to send him sexually explicit photos or provide contact information on other people. If the victims refused, Cherry threatened to harm the victims and their families, the prosecutor’s office says.

Cherry was previously convicted of criminal recklessness and sentenced to 10 years for shooting into the home of a young man back on Jan. 4, 2014. Two days later, he shot another young man’s father when he answered the front door of the family’s home. He was convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to 40 years for the second shooting.

IMPD detectives and cybercrimes unit worked with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office in Huntsville, Alabama, on the investigation.