INDIANAPOLIS -- Prosecutors charged two more juvenile suspects as adults Friday in connection with the murder of Indiana University Dr. Kevin Rodgers last November.
Nehemiah Merriweather, now 18, faces one count of felony murder and two counts of burglary in connection with Rodgers’ death on Nov. 20, 2017.. Devon Seats, 17, is charged with murder, felony murder and two counts of burglary.
Prosecutors had previously charged two other suspects – Ka’Ron Bickham-Hurst, who was 18 at the time of Rodgers’ death, and a still-unnamed juvenile – with Rodgers’ murder.
PREVIOUS | Police were already looking for teen on day Dr. Kevin Rodgers was murdered | TIMELINE: The murder of Dr. Kevin Rodgers
Investigators believe the four suspects killed Rodgers when he encountered them while they were burglarizing his house in the 7500 block of Ballinshire South Drive. In addition to evidence of other burglaries, police found four Cathedral High School championship rings with the name “Rodgers” engraved on the side of each ring in the trunk of a Dodge Charger linked to the four suspects.
The probable cause affidavit filed Wednesday against Merriweather and Seats also implicates them in a burglary spree that preceded Rodgers’ death. Police had previously said they believed Bickham-Hurst and up to three juvenile accomplices had hit numerous other houses prior to the burglary that ended in Rodgers’ death.
Marion County court records show both Merriweather and Seats were charged in other cases in November. Merriweather pleaded guilty in June to burglary resulting in bodily injury and was sentenced to 3 years on home detention with GPS monitoring. Charges of armed robbery and dangerous possession of a firearm by a child filed Nov. 30 against Seats remain pending.
As of Friday afternoon, both Merriweather and Seat were being held in custody without bond. An initial hearing for Merriweather had been set for Sept. 4. Seats was not yet scheduled to appear before a judge in the case.
MORE FROM THE CRIME BEAT | Indianapolis sets all-time homicide record for the third year in a row | MAP: Indy's most dangerous neighborhoods | The Night the Sky Caught Fire: The Untold Stories of Richmond Hill | Convicted child molester reveals how he selected & groomed his victims | Teens killed man over weed and a pair of Air Jordans, police say | MAP: 2017 Indianapolis homicides
