Ex-Muncie man gets 33 years for Madison County homicide conviction
ANDERSON, Ind. — A former Muncie resident was sentenced this week to 33 years in prison for his role in a Madison County slaying.
David Leon Jones Jr., 55, more recently of Anderson, had been charged with murder in the October 2020 shooting death of Tyreke X. Love, a 23-year-old Indianapolis resident.
Investigators said Love was gunned down at an apartment complex on Anderson's west side. Jones reportedly believed the Indianapolis man had stolen his cellphone.
In August, Jones struck a deal with Madison County prosecutors and pleaded guilty to reckless homicide, unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon and being a habitual offender.
The murder count was dismissed.
More: Witnesses: Muncie man tried to arrange ex-wife's killing, later said he 'did it'
Jones received the 33-year sentence from Madison Circuit Court 4 Judge David Happe, including 16 years as the habitual offender penalty.
In 2006, Jones — then of Muncie — was sentenced to 20 years in prison by Delaware Circuit Court 4 Judge John Feick after pleading guilty to attempted murder.
Muncie police said Jones, in October 2005, had shot a 79-year-old man in the stomach during a robbery at a house in the 300 block of South Beacon Street.
Jones had most recently been released from custody in 2020, according to an Indiana Department of Correction website.
His record also includes convictions for battery, possession of cocaine and possession of a handgun without a license.
In other crime news:
Dealing charge: A traffic stop has resulted in a New Castle man being charged with dealing in meth.
According to court documents, Mathew Ryan York, 42, was a passenger in a car that was pulled over after crossing the centerline on South 25th Street on the evening of Sept. 17.
A New Castle Police Department K-9, Kori, indicated there were controlled substances in the vehicle. A zippered container found in the car allegedly contained meth and a syringe.
A meth-dealing charge filed against York in Henry Circuit Court 2 was upgraded to a Level 2 felony, carrying up to 30 years in prison, because a juvenile was in the vehicle.
He is also charged with unlawful possession of a syringe.
The New Castle man — who continued to be held in the Henry County jail on Friday under a $70,000 surety bond and a $5,700 cash bond — has received a Dec. 18 trial date.
Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Ex-Muncie man gets 33 years for Madison County homicide conviction
