Naman Shrestha
In November 2015, Amanda Blackburn met her tragic demise, along with her unborn daughter, leading to unrest across the entire community of Indianapolis, Indiana. As the investigators tried to find out what transpired, CCTV footage of the area helped them identify the perpetrator/s responsible for the killing. The entire case is explored in a detailed manner in Investigation Discovery’s ‘On the Case With Paula Zahn: Why Would Someone Shoot Amanda? ‘, which also features insightful interviews highlighting key aspects of the investigation.
Amanda Blackburn Was a Doting Mother of One With Another on the Way
Amanda Grace Byars Blackburn was born to Phil & Robin Byars in Muskegon, Muskegon County in Michigan. Her arrival on July 31, 1987, lit up the Byars household and filled their lives with joy and warmth. The young girl was always surrounded by the love and care of her parents and the company of her siblings, James and Amber. She was a bright individual who began her academic journey in a local school in Indianapolis, Indiana. When she was just around 8 years old, sometime in 1995, the family reportedly relocated to Elkhart. It was in 2006 that Amanda enrolled at the private Christian school, Elkhart Christian Academy. She likely moved to Florida after a while, where she obtained her Associate’s degree in 2008 from Pensacola Christian College in Pensacola, Florida.
Things changed for the better in Amanda’s life when her paths crossed with Davey Blackburn. One thing led to another, and the two soon realized they were meant to be and wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. In the presence of their loving family and friends, the pair tied the knot on August 1, 2008, and embarked on a beautiful chapter of their lives. Being devout Christians, both Davey and Amanda wanted to dedicate their lives to sharing the love of Christ. To pursue their true calling, they moved to Indianapolis in 2012 and established the foundation of Resonate Church. While Davey served as a local pastor, Amanda was deeply committed to fulfilling her mission to help people discover their purpose by guiding them to the light of Jesus.
Amanda Blackburn Was Found in a Critical Condition by Her Husband
For years, since the early 2010s, Amanda actively maintained her association with the For Indy organization and worked towards uplifting those affected by poverty. In 2014, after about six years of marriage, she and Davey welcomed their baby boy, Weston James Blackburn, into the world. Just a year later, the Blackburn household brimmed with happiness once again when they learned that they had another baby on the way. They had also decided upon a name for their daughter, Everett Grace Blackburn AKA Evie. Unfortunately, their lives were turned upside down in a few months.
On the fateful morning of November 10, 2015, Davey started his day early and headed to the gym around 6 am while Amanda and their toddler were asleep. After working out for an hour or so, he claimed that he returned home, but talked on the phone with a friend in his driveway before going inside. Around 8 am, he entered the house to find his wife unclothed and unresponsive on the floor. He dialed 911 and reported the same to the authorities. When the police arrived at the scene, they rushed the 12-week pregnant woman to Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital. On first glance, they believed that it was a case of burglary gone wrong. The Blackburns’ 1-year-old son was found unharmed. The following day, 28-year-old Amanda succumbed to the gunshot wound to the back of her head and passed away alongside her unborn daughter, Everette ‘Evie’ Grace Blackburn.
Amanda Blackburn’s Killers Were on a Burglary Spree
As the detectives investigated the murder of Amanda Blackburn, they learned that another resident’s house in the neighborhood had been broken into that same day, hinting at the possibility of the two crimes being connected. The authorities eliminated her husband, Davey Blackburn, as a suspect by going through the gym’s security footage, which corroborated his alibi. They even went through the neighbors’ surveillance footage, hoping to spot the perpetrator/s entering the Blackburn residence. About ten days after the murder, the evidence led the police to three men — Larry Taylor, Jalen Watson, and Diano Gordon.
According to reports, on the fateful morning of November 10, 2015, the trio broke into a couple of residences in the area and stole electronics and other valuables, including a car. During the first burglary, they realized that the house had a CCTV camera, after which they disconnected it. Since they were seen on camera, Larry allegedly wanted to kill the resident, but the other two accomplices managed to change his mind. Having successfully robbed two houses, they broke into the third house. After they allegedly saw Davey leave the house to go to the gym that morning, they targeted the Blackburn property.
As the three burglars entered the residence, Larry allegedly pistol-whipped Amanda in the mouth and held her at gunpoint, while Jalen and Diano went to collect money using her ATM card. By the time the two returned, Larry had already killed the pregnant woman. As per Larry, it was after she charged at him that he pulled the trigger and shot her in the torso. As per reports, he then proceeded to shoot her in the back of the head. Several days of investigation led to the arrest of the three men on November 20, 2015. All three were charged with the murder of 28-year-old Amanda Blackburn. In the following days, they were also linked to multiple other cases that dated back several weeks prior to the murder.
While Larry is Currently Imprisoned at an Indiana Prison, Jalen is Seemingly Under Home Detention
Initially, on November 24, 2015, Larry Taylor and Jalen Watson pleaded not guilty to the charges against them. However, nearly two years later, in October 2017, Jalen pleaded guilty to one count of robbery and two counts of burglary in connection with Amanda Blackburn’s murder. As part of his plea deal, his other charges, including auto theft and murder, were dismissed in exchange for his cooperation and testimony against his accomplices. His sentencing was delayed for a number of years because it depended on his cooperation with the prosecutors. Finally, in March 2021, he was sentenced to 29 years in prison for robbery resulting in serious bodily injury and 10 years each for the two burglary charges.
Diano Gordon also decided to plead guilty to two counts of burglary and testify against Larry Taylor in court. During Larry’s bench trial for the murder of Amanda in September 2022, Diano and Jalen testified against him. In the end, he was found guilty of 12 of the 14 charges against him, including murder, criminal confinement, two counts of theft, two counts of burglary, auto theft, and carrying a handgun without a license. After his conviction, on September 26, 2022, Diano was sentenced to a total of 30 years, with 25 years to be served in prison and five years on probation. The following month, Larry was sentenced to 86 years in prison for killing the pregnant woman in 2015.
On November 17, Larry pleaded guilty to the sexual assault charge against him stemming from an unrelated case. He received another 20-year imprisonment sentence on November 22. After his testimony against Larry Taylor and Diano Gordon, the judge amended Jalen Watson’s sentence. On December 2, 14 years of his original 29-year sentence were suspended. After the revision, he was ordered to serve 10 years in prison in addition to five years of home detention in Marion County. The following year, Larry filed an appeal to get his conviction overturned, but the Indiana Court of Appeals denied his request and upheld his conviction. As of today, Larry is serving his sentence at the Miami Correctional Level 3 Facility in Bunker Hill, Indiana, while Jalen has seemingly been released from prison and is under home detention.
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