Darion Anderson

In the early hours of April 29, 2024, a gathering of young people at a home in Portage, Indiana, ended in tragedy. Darion Anderson, a 20-year-old male from nearby Hammond, was shot and killed inside the residence, located in the 5300 block of Aspen Avenue. According to witness testimony, Anderson was at a party where guests were drinking and smoking marijuana. When they ran out, a call was made to have more delivered to the house.

Shortly after 12:35 a.m., a man reportedly arrived to sell the marijuana. Witnesses later told police he was holding a pistol during the transaction. According to one account, someone yelled "Grab it," followed by the sound of eight to ten gunshots. Portage police officers responded to a call about the shooting and found Anderson on a living room couch. Paramedics provided medical assistance, but he died at the scene. An autopsy later determined that his death was a homicide caused by multiple gunshot wounds.

The Portage Police Department led the investigation. Detectives used witness statements and surveillance video, which showed a dark SUV arriving at and leaving the scene, to identify persons of interest. On May 1, 2024, police secured an arrest warrant for Montrell McLaurin Jr., then 19, of Gary, Indiana. He was taken into custody two days later. Investigators also identified a second man, 20-year-old Timothy Sandifer IV, also of Gary, as an alleged accomplice.

McLaurin was charged with murder, murder in perpetration of a robbery, and attempted robbery. Prosecutors alleged he was the shooter. Sandifer was charged with aiding murder and aiding attempted robbery, accused of orchestrating the robbery plot through group text messages.

Timothy Sandifer IV went to trial, and in November 2024, a Porter County jury found him not guilty on all charges after deliberating for less than two hours. Montrell McLaurin Jr. pleaded not guilty and requested a speedy trial. His trial was later continued at the prosecution's request due to difficulties contacting a key witness who lived out of state. Under state rules, the continuance entitled McLaurin to be released on his own recognizance. As of November 2024, his jury trial was scheduled to begin in January 2025.