3rd man charged in crime spree before pastor's wife shot
INDIANAPOLIS — A man held in police custody for nearly a month has been charged in connection with two burglaries committed prior to the slaying last month of an Indianapolis pastor's wife, Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry announced Monday.
Diano Gordon, 24, faces felony counts of burglary and theft for his alleged role in the crime spree that preceded the killing of of Amanda Blackburn on Nov. 10. Gordon was taken into custody Nov. 19 on an unrelated parole violation.
Authorities say Gordon conspired with Larry Taylor, 18, and Jalen Watson, 21, to rob homes across the Northside of Indianapolis.
Taylor was charged with 13 counts, including murder, burglary, theft, robbery, criminal confinement, auto theft and a misdemeanor count of carrying a handgun without a license. Watson is facing 10 counts, including murder, burglary, theft, robbery and auto theft.
Taylor is the accused triggerman in the slaying.
Gordon was named in charging documents filed at the time of Taylor and Watson's arrests. But it was unclear how, when or if he would be charged. During an initial hearing for Taylor and Watson last month, Deputy Prosecutor Denise Robinson said officials were waiting for test results and other information before determining what charges could be filed against Gordon.
Blackburn was found critically injured in her home by her husband, pastor Davey Blackburn. Amanda Blackburn, who was 12 weeks pregnant with the couple's second child, died two days later.
The Blackburn's home was the third burglary on Nov. 10.
A timeline detailed in charging documents began around 4:30 a.m. the day Blackburn was shot, when a woman living about 10 miles from the Blackburn home awoke to find her apartment burglarized. She told police that burglars stole her cellphone, laptop, purse, keys and 2007 Chevrolet Sebring. The woman’s security system, court documents say, took pictures of three people.
The Blackburn home, two doors down on Sunnyfield, was targeted next. Police said the suspects entered the unlocked door after Davey Blackburn left to go to a gym at 6:11 a.m.
According to court documents, the men did not immediately decide to kill Amanda Blackburn. Instead, documents allege Taylor hit her with his gun, stole her bank cards and threw them in the getaway car with Watson and Gordon. Those two then drove to two ATMs, attempting to withdraw money. They communicated several times via phone with Taylor, who remained in the Blackburn house.
A cooperating individual who is unidentified in court records provided a narrative of that morning to police. That person told investigators that the two men in the car planned to leave Taylor behind after successfully withdrawing money from an ATM. But Taylor, court documents say, “threatened to kill the woman if they left him.”
Ultimately, the two decided to return for Taylor. Court documents attribute that decision to another person who called them and said Taylor was “family” and could not be left behind.
It's not clear when Blackburn was shot. A neighbor later told police she heard two gunshots and what sounded like a woman's scream about 6:45 a.m. According to the unidentified cooperating individual, Taylor later told several people that he shot Blackburn in the back of the head.
The Blackburns, who moved to Indianapolis from South Carolina two years ago and founded Resonate Church, drew significant interest across the country as Davey Blackburn began speaking out on national media about his wife's death.
Contributing: Madeline Buckley,Michael Anthony Adams and Vic Ryckaert, The Indianapolis Star. Follow Jill Disis on Twitter: @jdisis
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