Appeals court upholds conviction for Gary marijuana dealer’s slaying
The Indiana Court of Appeals upheld a Gary man’s conviction for killing his marijuana dealer inside an apartment in November 2021.
Tyrone Reno, 34, was sentenced to 70 years in June for the Nov. 15, 2021, death of Quintez Johnson, 31, of Gary.
Johnson’s two kids, aged 8 and 6, were in the apartment when he was shot.
At trial, jurors viewed footage of an unmasked man running down a stairwell just after Johnson’s death. They returned a guilty verdict after 15 minutes.
In a 3-0 decision, Appeals Judge Paul Mathias wrote his sentence was appropriate.
Reno can appeal.
His earlier release date is in 2076.
Trio charged in Christmas Eve Gary apartment shooting
Three people are facing charges in connection with a Christmas Eve shooting at a Gary apartment targeting the alleged shooter’s romantic rival.
Roncia Fletcher-Black, 48, Ryan Shebesh, 49, and Christopher Jackson, 34, are charged with aggravated battery and other felonies.
Gary Police responded around 7 p.m. Dec. 24 to an apartment on the 600 block of Jackson Street, where officers found a man shot five times in his legs, according to an affidavit.
Charging documents alleged Jackson was forcibly holding the woman, the victim’s girlfriend, by the back of her neck. The victim said Jackson “let (her) go,” then “charged” him, according to an affidavit.
Jackson and the victim soon fought over Jackson’s dropped gun. Fletcher-Black picked it up and handed it back to Jackson, who opened fire at the victim. Shebesh admitted he kicked the victim in the head after he was shot.
The victim’s girlfriend recently left Jackson to date the victim again, charges state.
Jackson and Shebesh are charged with aggravated battery and three counts of battery. Fletcher-Black is also charged with the same, plus assisting a criminal.
mcolias@post-trib.com
