Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry announced that his office has filed a request with the court to seek the death penalty against Major Davis II for the shooting death of Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Officer Perry Wayne Renn. Officer Renn was killed on July 5 in the area of East 34th Street and Forest Manor Avenue.
According to the probable cause affidavit filed in the case, the defendant is believed to have fired rounds from an assault rifle at Officer Renn, who was responding to a 911 call that shots had been fired in the area. Davis has been charged with one count of Murder.
In the request for the death sentence, it is alleged the following aggravating circumstances existed at the time of Davis’ offense:
· Aggravating Circumstance Number 1:
That Major Davis II did kill Perry Wayne Renn, a law enforcement officer with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, while Perry Wayne Renn was acting in the course of duty, in violation of I.C. 35-50-2-9 (b) (6) (A).
· Aggravating Circumstance Number 2:
That Major Davis II did kill Perry Wayne Renn, a law enforcement officer with the
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, and, further, the murder was motivated by an act Officer Perry Wayne Renn performed while acting in the course of duty, in violation of I.C. 35-50-2-9 (b) (6) (B).
Established under Prosecutor Curry in 2011, a review committee within the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office considers death penalty eligible cases to evaluate the circumstances.
This is the third time the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office has filed a death penalty request with the court, the most recent against Kenneth Rackemann for the February murders of Walter Burnell, Jacob Rodemich, Kristy Sanchez, and Hayley Navarro. In 2011, the death penalty was sought against Thomas Hardy for the murder of Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Officer David S. Moore. Hardy pleaded guilty in 2012 and, pursuant to the plea agreement, is serving a sentence of life without parole.
The next court appearance for Major Davis II is scheduled for September 3 at 9 a.m.
A charge of a crime is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
