Man who pleaded guilty in wife’s death sentenced to 42 years

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A 37-year-old Indianapolis man has been sentenced to 42 years in prison for the voluntary manslaughter of his wife in January 2021, the Marion County prosecutor announced Tuesday.

Ashley Bell-Davis, 32, died Jan. 12, 2021, after Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers found her critically injured around 2:35 p.m. at a home in the 3900 block of Boulevard Place. That’s north of the intersection of West 39th Street and Boulevard Place.

A later autopsy determined her homicide had been caused by at least three gunshot wounds.

IMPD arrested Carl E. Davis a few days later. He was formally charged with two counts of murder, a count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon; and a count of pointing a firearm at another.

On Feb. 7, a judge accepted a plea deal in which Davis pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and the habitual sentencing enhancement. All the previous charges were dismissed.

At least two people told investigators that the husband and wife had argued over money and drugs prior to the shooting.

The shooting was one of four that spanned four hours on Jan. 12, 2021, in Indianapolis. Five people died in the four separate shootings.