INDIANAPOLIS – The two men charged in the shooting death of an Indianapolis pastor's pregnant wife said little Tuesday when they faced a judge for the first time since their arrest.
A Marion County judge entered not guilty pleas for 18-year-old Larry Taylor Jr. and 21-year-old Jalen Watson during a brief court hearing.
They quietly answered the judge's questions about whether they understood the charges, but didn't say anything about the accusations that they broke into the home of 28-year-old Amanda Blackburn shortly after her husband, Pastor Davey Blackburn, left for the gym about 6 a.m. Nov. 10.
Taylor and Watson, both of Indianapolis, were charged Monday with burglary, theft and several other charges. A probable cause affidavit says that Taylor shot Amanda Blackburn three times, including once in the back of the head.
Watson also faces a murder charge because Blackburn was killed during a burglary in which prosecutors allege that he was involved.
It was not clear whether Blackburn, who was 13 weeks pregnant, had been sexually assaulted; she was found partially nude, Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry said.
The couple's 15-month-old son, Weston, was at home upstairs in a crib but was not harmed in the attack.
Davey Blackburn released a statement Monday saying: "Though it does not undo the pain we are feeling, I was extremely relieved to get the news of the arrest made last night of Amanda's killer."
Curry said there was no reason to believe that the Blackburns knew the two men who are charged.
Amanda and Davey Blackburn moved to Indianapolis from South Carolina in 2012 to found the independent Resonate Church. Amanda Blackburn's father is lead pastor of First Baptist Church in Elkhart, Indiana, and Davey Blackburn's father, Dave Blackburn, is lead pastor at Next Church in Brevard, North Carolina.
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
