Man sentenced to 55 years for 2020 murder of transgender woman
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The man convicted of murdering a 39-year-old transgender woman in Indianapolis in 2020 was sentenced Wednesday to 55 years in prison.
Johnny Viverette shot Sara Blackwood on the night of Oct. 11, 2020, near 26th Street and Temple Avenue on the city’s northeast side. Blackwood had finished her shift working at Long John Silver’s around 9:45 p.m. and was walking home when she was shot. She later died of her injuries at a nearby hospital.
An Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department detective reviewing video footage from a parking lot near the incident saw a Ford Mustang at the intersection of Temple Avenue and Washington Street around 9:55 p.m., court documents say.
In the video, a person gets out of the car and walks southbound on Temple Avenue. The person in the video turns the corner onto Washington Street, walking east, presents their arms as if they are pointing a firearm, then pulls Blackwood into the front yard of a home on Washington Street.
After a short time, a flash is seen on the video, consistent with where police found a spent casing.
During their investigation, police spotted the Ford Mustang in Westfield at a business where Viverette worked and matched it to the car in the video. Police got a search warrant to put GPS tracking on the car.
Homicide detectives arrested Viverette on Nov. 20 for his alleged involvement in Blackwood’s death. When interviewed by police, Viverette initially staid he was not near the crime scene when the shooting happened, then he said he was “trying to meet up with a female but his GPS messed up,” and he was walking down the street to “ask a male for directions,” court documents say.
Viverette told police the person made a movement toward him, and an altercation began. The he said, “the man shot himself” and that he was scared and ran to his car.
His story did not match the surveillance video.
Viverette was charged with murder, robbery, and possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon.
As part of a plea agreement, he pleaded guilty to murder earlier this month. He was given a 55-year sentence with 45 years in the Indiana Department of Correction, followed by two years of probation.