A 15-year-old boy has been sentenced to 100 years in prison in the US state of Indiana after being convicted in a gang-related shooting that killed a woman and injured two others last year.
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According to ABC News, Jo'Majze Larry, of Anderson, Indiana, was sentenced on Wednesday by Judge David Happe of the Madison County Circuit Court. Prosecutors said Larry was one of four alleged members of the Mickey Cobra Nation (MCN) gang charged in the February 2025 killing of 26-year-old Dayla Swain outside Sonny Ray's nightclub in Anderson, near Indianapolis.
Investigators said Swain was not the intended target. She was fatally shot during what prosecutors described as a botched hit targeting a witness in another homicide case. Another woman was shot and wounded, while a third was struck by a vehicle as she fled the gunfire.
Larry and his co-defendant, 19 year old Rashawn Samuels, were found guilty by a jury on June 30, the Madison County District Attorney's Office said. Samuels was sentenced on Thursday to 125 years in prison.
Following their convictions, both Larry and Samuels admitted to an enhancement charge of participating in a criminal organisation. Judge Happe sentenced Larry to 50 years for Swain's murder and imposed an additional 50 year sentence under the criminal organisation enhancement, taking his total prison term to 100 years.
Samuels received 62 and half years for the murder conviction and another 62 and half years for the criminal organisation enhancement, bringing his total sentence to 125 years.
In a statement, prosecutors said Indiana law provides enhanced penalties for members of criminal organisations because such groups coordinate criminal activity, recruit others to commit crimes and often carry out offences to further the organisation's objectives or for financial gain.
A third defendant, 19-year-old Kyree Craver, was convicted of Swain's murder in a separate trial earlier this year and was sentenced to 90 years in prison on July 9. A fourth defendant is expected to stand trial later this year.
Larry and Samuels were also convicted of attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder, prosecutors said.
Because Larry was under the age of 18 at the time of the offence, Indiana law allows him to seek a judicial review of his sentence after serving at least 20 years, without requiring the consent of the prosecuting attorney.
Prosecutors said the case stemmed from the 2023 killing of 15-year-old Jullian Craig, who was fatally shot during an attempted armed robbery. Donavan Harris, 20, of Anderson, was convicted of Craig's murder in June.
According to prosecutors, Craig's killing prompted Larry, Samuels and other alleged gang members to conspire to kill a witness in that case. The planned attack took place on February 2, 2025, outside Sonny Ray's nightclub in Anderson, but instead resulted in the death of Dayla Swain, who prosecutors said was an unintended. victim.
