A Gary teen is facing a murder charge after allegedly shooting a next-door neighbor when she walked over to yell at his lawn care crew.
Jaron Starks Jr., 18, is charged with murder and a firearms enhancement. On those charges, he faces up to 65 years. He is also facing misdemeanor marijuana possession and paraphernalia charges.
His case was unsealed on Wednesday.
He is in custody, held without bail. Court records show public defender Joshua Mahler has been appointed, and has petitioned for a bail hearing. Mahler was not immediately available on Thursday.
His next court date is Oct. 2.
Gary Police responded at 5:15 p.m. Sept. 4 to the 1900 block of Noble Street.
The victim, Jessica Lipscomb, 36, was found at the crime scene, shot once in the chest. She was pronounced dead at Methodist Hospitals. One 9-mm bullet casing was found at the scene.
A Ring video showed Lipscomb yelling at two males working on the lawn next door. She walks out of camera view toward one male in a red shirt on a riding mower, while a second man was trimming grass. She is still “heard yelling” when a gunshot is fired, the affidavit states.
The male with the red shirt runs across the street, holding a suspected gun. He got into a white Ford Taurus that took off. Police traced the car through a license plate reader system to Starks’ girlfriend.
Police found a 9-mm bullet casing inside the car when executing a search warrant. Investigators matched Starks’ BMV photo to the Ring video.
At his apartment, police found spent 9-mm casings, a box of ammunition, marijuana and a pipe.
mcolias@post-trib.com
