A judge granted bail in December for a woman in a fatal East Chicago apartment shooting.
Rena Dixon, 34, is charged with murder, unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon and a gun enhancement in the April 26, 2025, death of Aaliyah Shewan, 27, of Aurora, Illinois.
Shewan was shot in the stomach at Dixon’s apartment and died at a nearby hospital.
Dixon’s bail was reset to $7,500 cash surety. Court records do not appear to show she has posted bond. A status hearing is set for March 26.
Two bail hearings were held in August and December.
Defense attorney Adam Tavitas argued in court filings that the two other men there didn’t see the shooting and the gun wasn’t recovered. No one else at the apartment testified in the bail hearing or gave a motive.
Deputy Prosecutor Paul Namie argued in filings that a woman said, “You’re not supposed to be here,” before a gunshot. The men tried to “de-escalate” tensions.
No eyewitnesses were “concerning,” but not “unusual,” he wrote. Neither man was “available” to testify at the bail hearings, Namie wrote.
Police responded April 26 to the 1300 block of W. 150th Street for a reported shooting.
Shewan’s boyfriend told police he originally told 911 it was a drive-by shooting because he didn’t think she would die and didn’t want to get Dixon in trouble.
Dixon called him to invite the Aurora couple over that night. They were there with Dixon and another man – whose identity Escutia didn’t discover, records show.
Officers found Dixon sitting in the passenger seat of a Chrysler 300 parked outside. She gave her name before she appeared to pass out. Police smelled alcohol.
During a police interview, Shewan’s boyfriend was “distraught” when he learned she died. He consented to a DNA swab. His story matched video and audio evidence, Escutia wrote.
After they arrived, the women started “(trash) talking,” which turned 20 minutes later into “tussling,” but they weren’t physically fighting, the boyfriend said.
Dixon got a gun. She started arguing with Shewan’s boyfriend. He took the gun, then gave it back as she got “combative,” the affidavit states. He claimed he didn’t realize at first that Shewan had been shot.
mcolias@post-trib.com
