A 19-year-old teen from Indianapolis was charged with killing three people during a carnage spree that went on for four days and officials said he cited the movie "The Purge" thus the murders.
The suspect, identified as Johnathan Cruz, appeared on an initial hearing on Thursday, June 2. He was charged with three murder counts and other charges such as robbery from the attacks that started from May 12 until May 15. He is in custody and is held without bond.
Who were his victims?
The victims of Cruz were said to have been picked randomly as they were not related in any way.They have been identified as Billy Boyd, Jay Higginbotham and Jose Ruiz, Indy Star reported. Boyd and Higginbotham were both killed on May 12 just hours apart while Ruiz was killed on May 15.
Officials said in a statement that Boyd was found dead on the sidewalk of 3900 block of North College Avenue. He was shot twice in the head. Higginbotham was also found dead on the sidewalk of 900 block of North Denny Street. He appeared to be running away from the killer and died from multiple gunshot wounds.
A witness said that the killer said he was "purging."
What is "The Purge"
It is a movie franchise that started back in 2013 and is about the United States government allowing a 12-hour period for all crimes to be legal such as killing and stealing. A third installment for the movie entitled "The Purge: Election Year" is set to be out this July 4.
Angela Barger, the girlfriend of Cruz, said that she was with him for one day during the time that he was out killing people. She said that she did not believe the alleged crimes of Cruz and noted that he had issues but is not a violent person. However, officials said that Deputy Prosecutor Denise Robinson said that they have a cellphone video of at least one of the alleged killings.
Barger and Ricki Cline, the mother of the three-month-old daughter of Cruz, said that "The Purge" connection to the murders is pointless and irrelevant.
His Mother Knew Of The Killings
According to reports, the mother of Cruz texted him and asked what he was doing. He then sent her a screen captured image showing an article about the deaths of Higginbotham and Boyd. He also advised his mother to delete the message but she said that the message could be traced. He then noted that he is knowledgeable about that so he will get a new phone and say that his was stolen.
Cruz is now facing life in prison without parole or death penalty.
