Man sentenced to nearly 200 years after Indiana triple homicide led to serial killer rumors

An Indiana man was sentenced to nearly 200 years in prison in connection to triple homicides when he was 16 years old.

The killings happened in October 2021 in Marion County, where prosecutors announced Friday that defendant Caden Smith was sentenced to 189 years in the deaths of victims Joseph Thomas, Michael James and Abdulla Mubarak.

Smith was previously found guilty of three counts of murder, two counts of felony murder, two counts of robbery, as well as various gun and drug-related charges, reported the Indy Star, part of the USA TODAY Network.

Because the 2021 triple homicides did not happen the same day, community members began to wonder if there was a serial killer on the loose, the Indy Star and television station WKRC reported. Authorities debunked the serial killer rumors once they arrested 16-year-old Smith a few weeks after the murders.

Here’s what to know.

Michael James’ girlfriend said he went to buy a ‘switch’ from someone named Caden

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) officers found the bodies of the victims in a field on Oct. 21, 2021, according to documents filed in the Court of Appeals of Indiana. There, officers collected over 50 fired 9 millimeter cartridge casings at the scene, as well as unfired 9 millimeter bullets. 

Police said Smith brought the three victims to grassy fields to show them how a Glock switch works. 

The victims’ cause of death was deemed to be from multiple gunshot wounds, the document reads.

The girlfriend of James, one of the victims, told investigators she last spoke with her boyfriend on Oct. 11, 2021. James told her he was going to meet someone named Caden to get some switches for a gun, the documents read.

A switch, the documents read, is an illegal device that allows a “conventional semi-automatic Glock pistol to function as a fully automatic firearm."

Investigators also spoke to a juvenile who said they had known two of the victims − James and Mubarak − and knew of someone named Caden. That juvenile gave investigators Caden’s grandmother’s address, as well as a cell phone number for Caden.

Victim’s mother remember him saying he was meeting someone named Caden

Detectives spoke with the mother of victim Joseph Thomas on Oct. 17. 2021 and again nearly a week later, according to court documents. Thomas' mother last saw her son a week earlier at her house, when he told her “I’m going to meet with Caden and take care of something.”

His mother also recalled meeting someone named Caden and his grandmother three years ago. She remembered where the pair lived.

After getting more information from Thomas' mother, investigators viewed surveillance footage from a gas station that showed him speaking to two people inside the store and exchanging numbers with one of them, court documents show.

Investigators also spoke to a juvenile who is friends with Thomas and recalled that the victim spoke to someone named "Caden” and was planning to meet him. The juvenile was shown a photo of Caden Smith and said it was the same Caden from the gas station, court documents show.

What did officers find in Smith’s home?

Investigators looked into Smith more and requested a search warrant on Oct. 26. They searched his home the next day and found two firearms, one with a “switch” attached, ammunition and six cell phones.

He was charged with multiple felonies, including three counts of murder. 

Smith’s case had been delayed because a judge ruled that the warrant used to arrest him may have been unconstitutional. The judge ordered that the teenager be released but he was soon arrested again on marijuana possession charges, the Indy Star reported.

He was found guilty in the killings in August.

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at@SaleenMartin or email her atsdmartin@usatoday.com.