Fort Wayne man formally charged with murder of woman, Indianapolis firefighter
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A 52-year-old Fort Wayne man was formally charged Friday with the New Year’s Day murders of a woman and an off-duty member of the Indianapolis Fire Department.
Jason Lapsley was taken into custody Monday night after the shooting deaths of 42-year-old Jasmine Ivy-Dede and 45-year-old Justin Boyd II, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department previously reported in a news release.
Ivy-Dede and Boyd were found shot to death inside a crashed pickup truck about 6 a.m. Monday at the intersection of Michigan Road, Grandview Drive and West 51st Street. That’s in an area with businesses, churches and homes on the city’s north side.
The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office on Thursday filed two murder charges against Lapsley in Marion Superior Court 31. Lapsley was formally charged Friday morning in Marion County Superior Court 31.
The court had ordered Lapsley held in the Marion County jail without bond, and he remained there on Friday afternoon, according to online records.
The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office said in a news release issued Thursday, “With assistance from cooperating community members, detectives were able to identify, locate and arrest Lapsley for his alleged role in this incident.”
Previous reporting from News 8
As News 8 reported Tuesday, a probable cause affidavit says that while officers were on the scene of the shooting, a 911 call came in from a man saying he shot someone trying to carjack or rob him and his brother. Investigators tried to locate the caller by tracking their location, but couldn’t locate anyone in the area. Officers then researched the number and found it belonged to Lapsley.
Detectives then spoke with Boyd’s son and two of Boyd’s close friends. Court papers say Boyd’s son told officers that his father left the house around 9 p.m. on New Year’s Eve to go to a party. He returned at 1 a.m. on New Year’s Day, and Boyd and his son spoke before his son went to bed.
Around 7 a.m., Boyd’s son told investigators he woke up hearing someone knocking on the door and ringing the doorbell. When he answered the door, he said he was met by his uncle, Jason Lapsley.
After both expressed confusion as to where Boyd was, Lapsley told his nephew that there was a carjacking that happened when Boyd tried to take him home. Lapsley said that “he fell asleep on the ride home, and when he woke up, two different people were in the car,” court papers say.
Lapsley told his nephew that he tried asking the people where Boyd was, but they wouldn’t answer. He then said that the man in the vehicle said he was taking him home, followed by the woman asking if Lapsley was OK.
Boyd’s son then told detectives that Lapsley told him he “got them both, nephew. I didn’t want to do it, but I got them both.”
Detectives then spoke with Boyd’s friends, who said they met with Boyd’s son and Lapsley at Boyd’s house. Court documents say that the friends had to help Lapsley out of the vehicle “because he was holding his ribs and acting hurt.”
One friend told investigators that they thought “Jason might be reaching for a weapon by the way he was acting.” The group reconvened in the house, and Lapsley eventually pulled aside the two friends.
Lapsley explained to the friends about the carjacking, and then according to court documents, admitted to shooting and killing the two people in the car.
The affidavit says that while still on the scene, detectives were approached by a person who said they knew where Lapsley was. Officers then responded to a home on Congress Avenue, where Lapsley was found sitting on the porch with another male.
Police say while the other male didn’t want to identify himself, he said he had recorded a conversation with Lapsley depicting the incident on his phone. Court documents say investigators reviewed the recording, where Lapsley admits to the shooting and answering questions about the blood on his coat.
Lapsley was then taken into custody for an interview, but Lapsley asked for an attorney before the interview even started.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Jasmine Ivy-Dede graduated from the IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law and was selected as the Bose McKinney & Evans LLP Diversity Fellowship participant for 2015.
Justin Boyd II, known as “JB,” was a native of Fort Wayne. Boyd joined IFD in May 2014 and was the engineer on Ladder 6 B Shift, according to IFD Chief Ernest Malone.
“Our deepest condolences to all those affected by this tragedy, most especially his wife and 2 children. Our heartfelt thoughts also go out to the family of the other victim involved in this tragedy. Please know you have our prayers as well. For those of us who served with Justin, we are at a complete loss for words. He will be sorely missed,” Malone said in a statement Monday.
The Indianapolis Fire Department on Tuesday shared additional information on Boyd’s life and his contributions to the department:
News 8’s Ashley Fowler and Michaela Springer contributed previous reporting to this story.