A 19-year-old IN man is accused of killing three people over four days, IN a series of attacks modeled after the movie “The Purge”.
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Jonathan Cruz’s initial hearing on murder, robbery and other felony counts is scheduled Thursday in Indianapolis.
Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry said the attacks “appeared to be 100 percent random” and that he would consider seeking the death penalty.
In “The Purge” movies, all crimes, including murder, are legal for a 12-hour period.
19-year-old Johnathan Cruz faces sixteen charges, plus a criminal gang enhancement, in the case.
According to witnesses, Higginbotham tried to walk away, but the male suspect followed him and demanded his money. Higginbotham was fatally shot during an altercation with a then-unidentified assailant.
Cruz’s mother texted him asking what he was doing right after the murders of Boyd and Higginbotham.
Cruz allegedly shot three men – Billy Boyd, Jay Higginbotham and Jose Alberto Ruiz – between May 12 and May 15, police said. Court documents state that Cruz had told one of his friends that he needed to leave Indianapolis “asap”.
Text messages reveal that Cruz sent screenshots of media reports of the murders to his mother, who responded with “Do u know they can still pull up deleted history”.
Later that same day Cruz grabbed a girl he had been selling drugs to at a Wendy’s, pulled a gun from his pocket and threatened to kill her, according to police documents.
“Yep Ima get a new phone soon say mine was stolen”, Cruz said.
The following morning, near the intersection of East Washington Street and North Linwood Avenue, IMPD officers found Ruiz shot dead in the driver seat of a Pontiac vehicle.
‘As alleged in the probable cause, it is set forth that Mr Cruz when on a four-day one man purge, including, as alleged, making statements to witnesses that he was going purging, and posting explicit messages on his phone including I purge every night now’.
“I want to commend the hard work of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and Marion County Prosecutor’s Office that resulted in the filing of today’s charges”.
Cruz was arrested on May 16 in a separate matter, and charged at the time with criminal confinement, kidnapping, intimidation and battery.
Just hours later, Cruz allegedly shot and killed another man – Jay Higginbotham – whom he happened to pass by in his auto. She told him to change his appearance and delete his Facebook account.
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Several other videos show Cruz pointing a black revolver at the camera – similar to the one detectives say was used in the slayings.
