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An Indianapolis woman with no criminal record is now facing a murder and criminal recklessness charge after she followed a man and shot him because he honked at her, court documents say.
A probable cause affidavit states that on Oct. 17 the woman fired one shot into the car of a 21-year-old that struck and killed him, after he honked at her at a red light that turned green and she didn’t move.
“We see a lot of road rage incidents in the city, but this one is distinguishable because of a single honk of the horn,” Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears told IndyStar. “Usually there’s more than just a horn that gets people fired up on the road whether it’s yelling or trying to brake check someone. This just illistrates a complete senselessness.”
Deborah Benefiel, 23, was arrested the same day after license plate readers led police to her location.
Mears praised the technology, stating that without it the investigation and arrest would likely have taken much longer.
However, Mears added that not much could be done to prevent the act in the first place. Mears said the prevention efforts used in other forms of gun violence, youth violence or domestic violence for example, don’t apply to this scenario.
“It speaks to the violence we face,” Mears said. “She has no criminal history or prior experience with the criminal justice system. These were two individuals who didn’t know each other.”
In a post online, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Chief Chris Bailey said the senseless death of the man was both heartbreaking and unacceptable.
“This tragedy serves as a stark reminder of how quickly anger and violence can destroy lives and families,” Bailey’s posts read. “I am proud of the dedicated work of our officers, analysts and detectives who jumped into action, using technology and strong investigative work to identify and arrest the individual responsible.”
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police were called on Oct. 17 about a person shot at 2 p.m. in the 3600 block of Donald Avenue on the city’s westside. Officers arrived to find a gold 2006 Chevrolet Malibu in the road with a man with a gunshot wound inside.
He was taken to Eskenazi Health in critical condition and pronounced dead at 2:43 p.m.
An autopsy by the Marion County Coroner’s Office revealed a bullet had struck the man on the right side of his torso and traveled back to front, striking his lung and heart before it lodged in his chest.
While processing the scene, officials noticed a single bullet hole in the passenger rear window of the car, according to court documents.
Detectives spoke with the man’s girlfriend who said she was with him when he was shot, according to the probable cause affidavit. The documents state that she said the two left their home about 1:45 p.m. to drop her off at her parents house on Donald Avenue.
The two stopped at a red light at the West 38th Street and Georgetown Road behind a mint green Ford SUV driven by a woman, court documents state. Since the woman didn’t start driving after the light turned green, the driver honked and then drove around the SUV.
Court documents state the woman was “yelling, screaming and throwing her hands around while inside the vehicle.”
The man’s girlfriend told police he attempted to turn into Georgetown Plaza when, according to court documents, the woman fired into their vehicle, striking him in the chest. His girlfriend then hopped in his lap and drove to the address on Donald Avenue less than half a mile away, court documents say.
The man’s girlfriend told detectives the green Ford SUV continued driving, neither slowing down nor speeding up.
License plate reading software helped detectives locate the mint green 2008 Ford Escape and capture its information. That led them to the owner of the vehicle, who they noticed did not resemble images of the driver. They eventually determined through BMV photos that Benefiel was the daughter of the owner.
Undercover detectives found and followed the vehicle to a Speedway gas station where Benefiel’s mother and two other men were parked at a pump. Someone was seen removing identifiable stickers from the rear windshield and placing them in the trash, according to court records. Police then conducted a search warrant of their home and vehicle.
According to a probable cause affidavit for her arrest, Benefiel told a SWAT officer that “the gun was in the apartment in a bag.” Court records state that police found a .40 caliber Glock handgun in a purse.
Court documents state Benefiel declined to comment while being interviewed by detectives.
Her initial hearing is set for Oct. 21.
Jade Jackson is a public safety reporter for the Indianapolis Star. You can email her at Jade.Jackson@IndyStar.com and follow her on X, formerly Twitter @IAMJADEJACKSON.
