An Indiana man was sentenced to nearly 200 years in prison for three homicides when he was 16 years old.

The murders took place in October 2021 in Marion County, where prosecutors announced Friday that defendant Caden Smith was sentenced to 189 years in prison for the deaths of victims Joseph Thomas, Michael James and Abdulla Mubarak.

Smith has previously been convicted of three counts of murder, two counts of murder, two counts of robbery, as well as various gun and drug charges, reported the Indy Star, which is part from the USA TODAY Network.

Since the 2021 triple homicides did not occur on the same day, community members began to wonder if there was a serial killer on the loose, the Indy Star and the television station WKRC. Authorities debunked rumors about the serial killer after arresting Smith, 16, weeks after the killings.

Here’s what you need to know.

Michael James’ girlfriend says he went to buy a ‘switch’ from someone named Caden

Officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) found the victims’ bodies in a field on October 21, 2021, according to documents filed with the Indiana Court of Appeals. There, officers recovered more than 50 fired 9-millimeter cartridge cases from the scene, as well as unfired 9-millimeter bullets.

Police said Smith took the three victims to grassy fields to show them how a Glock switch worked.

The victims’ cause of death was believed to be multiple gunshot wounds, the document states.

James’ girlfriend, one of the victims, told investigators she last spoke with her boyfriend on October 11, 2021. James told her he was going to meet someone named Caden to get switches for a gun, documents show.

According to the documents, a switch is an illegal device that allows a “conventional semi-automatic Glock pistol to function as a fully automatic firearm.”

Investigators also spoke to a juvenile who said they knew two of the victims – James and Mubarak – and knew a man named Caden. That juvenile gave investigators Caden’s grandmother’s address, as well as a cell phone number for Caden.

The victim’s mother remembers him saying he was meeting someone named Caden.

Detectives spoke with victim Joseph Thomas’ mother on Oct. 17, 2021, and again nearly a week later, according to court documents. Thomas’ mother last saw her son a week earlier at her home, when he told her, “I’m going to meet Caden and take care of something.” »

His mother also remembers meeting someone named Caden and his grandmother three years ago. She remembered where the two men lived.

After obtaining more information from Thomas’ mother, investigators viewed surveillance footage from a gas station that showed him talking to two people inside the store and exchanging numbers with one of them, according to court documents.

Investigators also spoke to a juvenile who is friends with Thomas and recalled that the victim had spoken to someone named “Caden” and was planning to meet him. The juvenile was shown a photo of Caden Smith and stated that it was the same Caden from the gas station. , court documents show.

What did officers find in Smith’s house?

Investigators examined Smith further and requested a search warrant on October 26. They searched his home the next day and found two firearms, including one with a “switch”, ammunition and six cell phones.

He was charged with several crimes, including three counts of murder.

Smith’s trial had been delayed because a judge ruled that the warrant used against him may have been unconstitutional. The judge ordered the teen released, but he was soon arrested again for marijuana possession, the Indy Star reported.

He was convicted of the August murders.

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s NOW team. She is originally from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at @SaleenMartin or send him an email at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Indiana man sentenced to death in 2021 who sparked serial killer rumors