Christopher Buckhalter was 23 when he was found shot in the driver’s seat of his car after it rolled and struck another vehicle at the Carriage House East apartments near 42nd Street and Mitthoeffer Road on a late December evening in 2018. Before he died, responding officers say he identified himself by name and date of birth. He had been working two security jobs and was reportedly planning to go Christmas shopping with one of his sons.

Detectives followed leads early on, including names of people they wanted to question and surveillance footage from the complex, but the investigation cooled and the case went cold. Buckhalter’s mother, Jacqueline Buckhalter, publicly urged anyone with information to come forward, saying community members knew who was responsible.

In August 2022 prosecutors filed murder charges against Genesis Penn, who was reported to have been identified by witnesses as the shooter and alleged to have believed Buckhalter had stolen marijuana. Penn was in federal custody on unrelated charges when the murder charge was brought; he was later transferred to Marion County and held without bond awaiting trial. Anyone who knew Christopher or who has information about the shooting is asked to come forward.