Adams Street homicides: What happens to juveniles charged with murder?

Corrections and clarifications: A previous version of this story incorrectly described the age limit for the death penalty in Indiana. Individuals who are under 18 years of age cannot be sentenced to death in the state. 

In August 2019, Lometreus Sanders shot and killed two of his peers, 15-year-old Ashlynn Nelson and 16-year-old Nicholas Nelson, which landed him a sentence of 45 years with 40 years in prison. Sanders was 15-years-old at the time he committed the murders in the 4100 block of Windhill Drive, but his case was tried in adult court because of its severity. 

“This resolution, imposing a 45-year sentence, recognizes the delicate balance of sentencing a 15-year-old for these crimes," said Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears in a statement at the time. 

Now, Mears could be faced with a similar situation.

On Monday, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department announced they had arrested a juvenile suspect in the deaths of five people, including a pregnant woman, that took place over the weekend in the 3500 block of Adams Street.

More on Adams Street shooting:Juvenile suspect arrested in Indianapolis mass shooting

Legal experts:What Indiana law says about killing an unborn child

Detectives do not think anyone else was involved in the crime. 

Indiana has laws in place to help prosecutors navigate that "delicate balance" of charging minors with serious crimes. If murder charges are brought against the suspect, it is likely that their case will end up in adult court, said Indianapolis criminal defense lawyer Mark Nicholson. 

Police have not released the age of the suspect, a factor that could weigh heavily in what happens next.

If an individual charged with murder is 16 or 17 years old, their case is out of the jurisdiction of juvenile court, according to Indiana law. 

Juveniles can receive consecutive sentences for each of their crimes in adult court. That means if they are convicted of multiple felony murders — the recommended sentencing of which is 45 to 65 years per count — they can end up with a stack of convictions that amount to life in prison, according to ex-Marion County deputy prosecutor Ralph Staples. 

"My guess would be that anyone convicted of multiple murders would receive a consecutive sentence," Staples said. "As a former prosecutor I prosecuted those cases where my victims were more than one, and we argued that judges should impose consecutive sentences and they agreed."

Indiana law says that individuals younger than 18-years-old cannot receive the death penalty. Those that are 16 to 17-years-old can receive a maximum life sentence of life without parole. 

In 2005 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty would be excessive punishment for juveniles, placing it in conflict with the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. 

Call IndyStar courts reporter Johnny Magdaleno at 317-273-3188 or email him at jmagdaleno@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @IndyStarJohnny