Appeals Court tosses robbery conviction in Portage murder
The Indiana Court of Appeals threw out a robbery conviction last month in a murder near a Portage Township pond, citing double jeopardy.
Domonic Brothers, 30, of Gary, was sentenced to 65 years for murder and 17.5 years for robbery after a jury trial in the June 13, 2023, death of Derek Hartz, 35, of Hobart.
Brothers and co-defendant Jada Moore planned to leave the state, but “did not have a car,” so they used Grindr to “find a ‘mark’ and rob them,’” court records state.
Brothers was found guilty of luring Hartz to a public access fishing site in Portage Township on the LGBTQ dating app and then brutally murdering him.
Brothers struck Hartz in the head with a brick, then Monroe stabbed him.
In a 3-0 decision on Oct. 17, Appeals Judge Stephen Scheele upheld Brothers’ murder conviction, but noted the robbery was part of “a single transaction.”
The State of Indiana can appeal.
Monroe was sentenced to 72.5 years in October 2024.
Judge declares mistrial in E.C. child molesting case
Judge Gina Jones declared a mistrial Tuesday after a detective misattributed an answer during his testimony.
Stephanie Alvarado, 35, of Hammond, was charged with two counts of child molesting. She has pleaded not guilty.
The victim told East Chicago police that Alvarado’s now ex-boyfriend, Andres Guerra, molested her in two separate homes starting when she was 10 or 11, around 2013, which began with Guerra touching her inappropriately as she slept, an affidavit alleges.
Court documents alleged Alvarado later joined in the abuse, which stopped in 2015. Her trial is rescheduled for March.
Guerra was convicted last month and awaits sentencing. His lawyer John Cantrell argued in a pretrial hearing that the victim made up the accusations after an alleged fist fight with Alvarado on Oct. 30, 2015. Alvarado pleaded guilty in that case and got one year on probation.
Girlfriend charged in deadly Crown Point drug deal
A girlfriend faces charges in a deadly Crown Point drug deal.
Aniyah Shelton, 21, is charged with dealing in a controlled substance resulting in death, dealing in cocaine and two counts of dealing in a narcotic drug.
Her case was unsealed Tuesday. Records show she posted a $6,000 cash bond Wednesday.
Nickolas Barbato, 32, of Hobart, Shelton’s boyfriend, was charged in October.
Schererville Police responded around 7 a.m. Nov. 26 to the 8100 block of Victoria Place in Crown Point.
Alexis Eggleston-Granato, 20, of Crown Point, died Nov. 26, 2024, from an overdose. Toxicology tests found fentanyl, fluorofentanyl and cocaine.
Videos show Eggleston-Granato left home for about 16 minutes around 10:30 p.m. Nov. 25 to buy drugs. She messaged Barbato to pay $160, to buy $120 in crack, $20 in heroin and give him $20 for gas via CashApp.
Eggleston-Granato was the “only customer that OD’d,” Shelton later told him in a May jail call.
It was “not her job” to help police if “they can’t figure it out,” he told her.
Post-Tribune archives contributed.
mcolias@post-trib.com
