A Grisly Triple Homicide Ignited Serial Killer Fears. Now the Shooter Has Been Sentenced to 189 Years

Caden Smith was found guilty of the killings, which took place when he was 16 years old

An Indianapolis man was sentenced to nearly two centuries in prison on Friday after he was found guilty of shooting and killing three people before leaving their bodies along a grassy path roughly three years ago.

Caden Smith, 19, was sentenced to 189 years in prison after he was convicted last month in the Oct. 2021 killings of Joseph Thomas, Michael James and Abdulla Mubarak, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement on Friday.

Mubarak was 17, Thomas was 18 and James was 22 at the time of their deaths. Smith was 16 years old when the incident occurred.

“Once again, the sale of unregulated firearms led to the tragic deaths of three innocent people,” Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement shared to the office's Facebook page. “This significant sentence is a testament to our commitment to holding violent individuals accountable for their actions. We are grateful for today’s announcement and thanks to the dedication of our deputy prosecutors and the investigators, justice was served for Abdullah, Joseph, Michael and their families.”

Smith had communicated with his victims prior to their killings, which ultimately led investigators to his home where they found the weapon used in the murders, according to The Indianapolis Star, the Associated Press and local outlet Fox 59. According to the outlets, Smith had lured his victims to the secluded area where they were shot and killed by promising to show them a “Glock switch,” a modification that can allow a semi-automatic gun to fire more rapidly like a machine gun.

The 2021 murders had led to rumors that there was a serial killer on the loose in the Indianapolis area at the time, according to The Indianapolis Star.

The prosecutor’s efforts to convict Smith faced a handful of speed bumps in recent years, according to local outlet WTHR, including a judge’s 2022 decision to allow Smith to be released because the judge said his arresting officers had violated his Fourth Amendment rights.

Key evidence was thrown out due to the ruling, according to the outlet, but Smith was soon arrested once again for violating his probation when he posted photos on Snapchat of himself alongside a gun and drugs.

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Smith’s trial last month lasted five days before he was ultimately convicted, according to the Indianapolis Star, WTHR, the Associated Press and Fox 59.

“It was a long and challenging road for these families, but thanks to the steadfast commitment of the investigators, deputy prosecutors and the multitude of agencies, justice has been secured for Abdullah, Joseph, Michael and their families,” Mears said after the trial, according to the Indianapolis Star.

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