Tuesday, April 08, 2014

16-Year Old Thug Arrested For Murdering Nathan Trapuzzano

'Red': Simeon Adams, 16, was arrested and charged today for the brutal murder of Nathan Trapuzzano
Simeon Adams
It didn't take police long to catch the 16-year old being charged with the murder of Nathan Trapuzzano last week. The 24-year old computer programmer had moved to Indianapolis from Pennsylvania last year to wed his wife, Jennifer, who was expecting the couple's first son in a few weeks. In the early morning hours of April 1, Simeon Adams gunned down Trapuzzano while he was on his daily walk on West 16th Street. Surveillance cameras from a nearby business helped police identify the suspect.

As it turns out, Simeon Adams had been on quite a crime spree before the shooting. On March 22, Adams allegedly robbed a gun store. On March 30, Adams shot Erick Douglas twice during an altercation outside a business in the 2900 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Adams used the same handgun he used on Douglas to fatally shoot Trapuzzano two days later. Police found Adams with a gunshot wound to his neck 17 hours after he shot Trapuzzano at a residence on West 35th Street, which had been the scene of another shooting only a week earlier. Adams has been transferred to the juvenile detention center where he is recovering from his own gunshot wound after he was treated at Eskenazi Hospital for his gunshot wound. News reports at the time of his shooting indicated that he was in critical condition when he was first admitted to the hospital.

IMPD credited assistance from the community with the murder investigation, which was coordinated by the Northwest and Southwest IMPD districts. Today's announcement made no mention of the second man shown on the surveillance camera approaching Trapuzzano at the same time as Adams right before he was fatally shot. Police Chief Rick Hite told reporters they know who the second man is but refused to identify him at this time. Adams, who is being charged as an adult, faces murder and attempted robbery charges for the fatal shooting of Trapuzzano, as well as attempted murder, aggravated battery and carrying a handgun without a license charges in connection with the shooting of Douglas. This Adams' kid already had a long rap sheet before these recent events, including gun violations, resisting law enforcement, burglary, auto theft and marijuana possession. Looks like our criminal justice system failed us again with deadly consequences. When will prosecutors and judges start taking responsibility for these senseless killings because of their refusal to deal appropriately with repeat criminal offenders, regardless of their age?

UPDATE: The British Daily Mail has more information than our Indianapolis news media. They identify Adams' accomplice as Martez "Duh-Duh" McGraw. They were also the first media outlet I've seen to find a photo of Simeon Adams, which was taken from a social media site. The story identifies Adams' nickname as "Red." The Daily Mail reports that Adams confessed to a friend that he shot Trapuzzano. He allegedly told the friend that he made Trapuzzano strip and that he shot him in the stomach when he leaned down to his shoes. Adams told his friend that Trapuzzano tried to tussle with him when he asked him why he was reaching for his shoes instead of stripping off his pants as he ordered him to do. That's when he said he shot him. "White man tried to tussle with me so I shot him," Adams told his friend. They had already stripped Trapuzzano of his sweater and t-shirt when they shot him. Adams' friend Marvell Robinson reported what Adams told him to police according to the report. When a good Samaritan responded to Trapuzzano's cries for help, the woman found him shirtless and shoeless, wearing only his jogging pants. He had fled from behind the tire shop building where his attacker forced him at gunpoint and then tried to make it to 16th Street to flag down passing motorists before he collapsed in the tire shop's parking lot. She described Trapuzzano as conscious but struggling to breath as he clutched his side where a small bullet entrance wound could be seen, but she said he was not bleeding much.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Superpredators from big cities are among us. They are killers!

Superpredators terrorize city

This youth violence, seen in the Trapuzzano case and in the fact we cannot go downtown at night on the weekends, or during Black Expo, anymore shows a small fraction of people creating a bloodbath of teen violence.

These Superpredators rob members of the 10-Point Coalition of their rich jewelry and rings at gunpoint, are fatherless, godless, youth terrorizing Indianapolis.

What does our Mayor done to support Public Safety? -Build a Regional Operations Center? Build a bike lane in Broad Ripple??? Build luxury condos on the MSA site?



Anonymous said...

It is sad that the British Newspapers cover local crime better than the Star. The Daily Mail has this evening identified the accomplice as Martez "Duh-Duh" McGraw. Detailed write-up with the perp's excuse for a motive: "White Man tussling with me". Sad

Anonymous said...

Why was he allowed to constantly go back into the public?

Anonymous said...

I strongly oppose the death penalty, but if this scum didn't live another hour, I wouldn't be at all sad about it.

Anonymous said...

Ghetto subhuman garbage.

Gary R. Welsh said...

Anyone catch WRTV's interview with Rev. Charles Harrison of the Ten Points Coalition? He claims his volunteers chased Adams out of gas station parking lot a day before the shooting and called 911 to report that he had a gun on him. When I see his rap sheet and it shows how many times he was arrested for gun possession within the past 6 months before he robbed the gun store, something really smells. He was arrested in October for possessing a stolen handgun. In December, he was arrested with another stolen handgun after a woman's car was stolen from a gas station and Adams was found near it with his loaded gun and marijuana. He was also arrested last year for breaking into a home and stealing a flat screen TV. He was arrested last July for stealing a car and released to his father without any charges. This boy was clearly caught on surveillance cameras breaking into a gun store and stealing dozens of guns last month. It is impossible that IMPD did not know that Simeon Adams was the boy who committed that gun story robbery. Someone in authority was deliberately putting this thug on the streets to terrorize Indianapolis residents. Was this killing of a very likable white man planned by someone in authority for ulterior motives? The Trapuzzano family should file a wrongful death lawsuit against IMPD to seek justice just to get answers to the gross incompetence that led up to Trapuzzano's murder.

Anonymous said...

Incompetance is the Word. How many times does it take to get this trash locked up. Nsts death could have been avoided. Where are the parents? We'll see the mom crying when her "baby" is sentenced to death. The parents should be charged also. That's where the problem begins. The mayor has to take control of this city. What more motivation dies he need? Hire more police put them on the streets and when you catch this trash keep them in a cell so good honest worthwhile humans can live their lives without fear.

Anonymous said...

Martez McGraw was arrested in Marion County on Feb 14th and charged with handgun possession with no license, and resisting arrest. So why isn't he still in jail?

Anonymous said...

His parents he had none all he had was his uncle and aunt that's it his mother died when he was a baby and dad was never around I knew him personally he did wrong but he was misunderstood

James 46 said...

Yeah, agreeing above.

Young Simeon probably should still be in prison for one or both of his weapons charges from late last year.

If so, INDY would be a little bit better place today; one less murder victim (known).

Weapons & Drug charges aren't teenage mischief; but indications of serious felonies to come.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 10:34:

I don't care about his lack of family values. If you want to think like Hillary Clinton, then "it takes a village" to raise a child and I would then fault you for knowing this POS and NOT DOING ANYTHING TO STOP HIM!

-He was not misunderstood, he had no family values, and people like you failed to address the violence and other crime he was engaged in. NO MISUNDERSTANDING! -It's your failure.

Anonymous said...

Soft judges make hard criminals.

Let's examine the Juvenile Court! Maybe it failed The People of Marion County and we need a NEW JUDGE next election.

Anonymous said...

His Mom Died when he was 13 months has no father.

Anonymous said...

Execute the scum. That's the only real answer we need.

Anonymous said...

I strongly agree with you, how many times do you have to arrest someone for gun crimes especially after they have stolen them!!?? That young man's death should not have happened.