A Gary man was sentenced Thursday to a 15-year split term for his role in a drug dealer slaying.
Davion “Ray-Ray” Dean, 29, pleaded guilty in March in separate criminal cases to attempted armed robbery and dealing in a narcotic drug.
Judge Natalie Bokota sentenced him to 12 years in prison, two in Lake County Community Corrections and one year on probation. Dean indicated he won’t appeal.
“You lured him there,” she told him.
Authorities alleged Dean set up to rob Jordan Miller, 24, of East Chicago, during a drug buy. Co-defendant Brandon “FettyBando” McFadden shot Miller dead.
The killing “changed my life,” the victim’s sister Bianca Miller wrote in a letter read aloud by Deputy Prosecutor Jacob Brandewie. He was a “source of support,” “laughter,” and “strength.”
His death “took away a future” and “reshaped who I am,” she wrote.
Another woman who testified on Dean’s behalf said she was faced with raising their children alone.
“He has to do better,” she said, “and it’s killing me he has to be here.”
Brandewie asked for a stiffer sentence, saying Dean was on bond at the time. They had hoped to get him to testify against McFadden, but they refused to cooperate and prosecutors considered pulling his plea deal.
He wasn’t the “shooter,” but ultimately set Miller up to be killed. It was a “grave betrayal,” Brandewie said.
Defense lawyer Casey McCloskey argued Dean was very “intelligent” and very remorseful. He asked for his client to avoid prison.
It was “not the life he wants to lead,” the lawyer said.
Dean apologized in court.
“I know it wasn’t right,” he said, adding he wanted a “chance to get home to my kids.”
Bokota noted Dean had encouraged McFadden to bring a gun.
Miller died from six gunshots to the torso, according to the Lake County Coroner’s Office. His death was ruled a homicide.
Gary Police arrived at 1:40 p.m. on March 30, 2023 to the 4400 block of Delaware Street, where they found Miller on the front steps of a small apartment building.
Witnesses said Miller and another man were there to sell drugs, according to the affidavit.
Police found a handgun on Miller’s body, which was unused, and noted the apartment’s back door was “barricaded.”
A witness said a man named “Ray-Ray” called Miller “several times” to get marijuana and mushrooms. The man was a longtime customer, according to court records.
Miller went inside, while the other man stayed in the car.
About five seconds later, Miller walked out. McFadden shot him from behind, then stood over the body, according to the affidavit. A third man with Miller returned fire, then ran into an alley, court records state.
