On December 11, 2022, 25-year-old Jaylen Alexander Curlee was fatally shot in the 1500 block of Judson Street in Evansville, Indiana. Born September 10, 1997 in Cleveland, Ohio, Curlee had moved to Evansville, attended Bosse High School, trained in welding and carpentry, and worked for Sunrise Coal Company. He is described as a father who enjoyed basketball and fishing.

Police say the shooting happened just after 4:00 a.m. when 23-year-old Kentar R. Collins arrived at a residence on Judson Street. A woman who lived there came outside to speak with Collins. Curlee walked to the driver’s side of Collins’ vehicle, an interaction occurred, and multiple shots were fired from the driver’s side. Curlee was struck and died at the scene despite life-saving efforts. Collins fled but was later identified as a person of interest and, on December 13, 2022, turned himself in with an attorney and was arrested on a murder charge.

Attempts to seat a jury were disrupted by media coverage, and Collins later pleaded guilty to aggravated battery with a felony firearm enhancement while the felony murder charge was dismissed; Curlee’s family asked the court to reject that plea and pursue a jury trial, and the court reinstated Collins’ original not guilty plea. Does anyone have information about Jaylen’s final hours or the people who were at the Judson Street residence that morning?