Simeon Adams aka "Red," was still aged 16, when he shot and killed 24-year-old Nathan Trapuzzano during a botched robbery in Indianapolis in April 2014 ...
.... he had already robbed a gun store of a large number of hand guns, in a crime committed a few weeks earlier, and was now using his favourite of the stolen guns, a .40-caliber pistol, to threaten his victims.
Adams who had lived with his aunt and uncle after his mother died, with his father constantly in and out of prison, but after they separated, he eventually lived solely with his uncle. This, even though his father was still living in the same city. He had been in trouble at school on a number of occasions, before being arrested in April 2013 on burglary and theft charges - the case was eventually dismissed in June 2013, when the victim didn't show up in court. This was his first experience of wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet while at home.
Its no surprise that he received mostly 'F's' for his school work at the Indianapolis Metropolitan High School, before being temporarily expelled for threatening, and then making inappropriate comments to a teacher. In December 2013 Adams was arrested for stealing car from a gas station, crashing it, and fleeing the police. He had been carrying a loaded .38-caliber revolver, which officers recovered near a fence that Adams had jumped. Once again the charges were dealt with in a plea deal, after he claimed to the probation department officials, that he had only carried the gun for protection ... but he was once again licensed to his uncles house.
But he now needed another gun ..... the subsequent gun shop robbery is what led to the chain of events that culminated in the murder of Nathan Trapuzzano. In the month before the fatal shooting, Adams had violated his probation for his previous crimes 13 times, and yet was still allowed to remain under what was laughingly termed as 'house arrest'. He had threatened a night club bouncer with his new gun during a car robbery, shortly before his crimes notched up to a deadly level.
He was finally arrested for the murder of Mr Trapuzzano, while lying in Eskenazi Hospital (the same hospital his victim had been pronounced dead in), after being shot by a drug dealer in a gun fight ... he had been wounded in the carotid artery, but had somehow survived. Adams was tried for murder as an adult, and after pleading guilty in a deal, he was sentenced to 55 years in prison for the April 2014 killing. In 2015 Adams also pleaded guilty to aggravated battery and carrying a handgun without a license in connection with the March 2014, shooting of Erick Bell Douglas. This offence occurred just two days before Adams had shot and killed Nathan Trapuzzano.
He was sentenced to an additional 12 years imprisonment (to be served consecutively to the 55 years murder sentence), for the earlier offences .... but since both offences occurred before a change to the state laws, Adams is eligible to serve just half that time in prison with good behaviour i.e. 33 years for both sentences.
Mr Trapuzzano worked as an Ivy Tech Community College computer programmer, who held degrees in Latin and Greek. He and wife Jennifer had been expecting their first child, who was born three weeks after his death. Nathan's sister Shayne Trapuzzano said that "I feel that the system definitely failed us." The family believed Adams should have qualified for whole of life in prison sentence .... but given Adams tender age (which meant a life sentence via a jury was unlikely), the plea deal was the best option available. Adams would have faced 45 to 65 years, had a jury convicted him, so the 55 years was the median sentence.
"It’s just really hard for me to fathom that any amount of time punishes someone for taking the life of another person," Ms Trapuzzano added. Jennifer Trapuzzano has since founded The Nathan Trapuzzano Memorial Foundation to provide financial relief and support to children who have lost a parent. The foundation has already helped a number of children since its inception and holds an annual walk fund raiser in his memory.
Sadly this sort of crime is not uncommon these days, but I thought that there was some small irony in that the locations of both of his convicted crimes were connected, via Dr. Martin Luther King Jr street, in the city. When he said he had a dream, did Dr. Martin Luther King Jr ever fear that it might end up with the nightmare of the Simeon Adams of this world?
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| Simeon Adams - The Smiling Killer .... Hopefully He's Enjoying Eating Pillowcase. |
.... he had already robbed a gun store of a large number of hand guns, in a crime committed a few weeks earlier, and was now using his favourite of the stolen guns, a .40-caliber pistol, to threaten his victims.
Adams who had lived with his aunt and uncle after his mother died, with his father constantly in and out of prison, but after they separated, he eventually lived solely with his uncle. This, even though his father was still living in the same city. He had been in trouble at school on a number of occasions, before being arrested in April 2013 on burglary and theft charges - the case was eventually dismissed in June 2013, when the victim didn't show up in court. This was his first experience of wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet while at home.
Its no surprise that he received mostly 'F's' for his school work at the Indianapolis Metropolitan High School, before being temporarily expelled for threatening, and then making inappropriate comments to a teacher. In December 2013 Adams was arrested for stealing car from a gas station, crashing it, and fleeing the police. He had been carrying a loaded .38-caliber revolver, which officers recovered near a fence that Adams had jumped. Once again the charges were dealt with in a plea deal, after he claimed to the probation department officials, that he had only carried the gun for protection ... but he was once again licensed to his uncles house.
But he now needed another gun ..... the subsequent gun shop robbery is what led to the chain of events that culminated in the murder of Nathan Trapuzzano. In the month before the fatal shooting, Adams had violated his probation for his previous crimes 13 times, and yet was still allowed to remain under what was laughingly termed as 'house arrest'. He had threatened a night club bouncer with his new gun during a car robbery, shortly before his crimes notched up to a deadly level.
He was finally arrested for the murder of Mr Trapuzzano, while lying in Eskenazi Hospital (the same hospital his victim had been pronounced dead in), after being shot by a drug dealer in a gun fight ... he had been wounded in the carotid artery, but had somehow survived. Adams was tried for murder as an adult, and after pleading guilty in a deal, he was sentenced to 55 years in prison for the April 2014 killing. In 2015 Adams also pleaded guilty to aggravated battery and carrying a handgun without a license in connection with the March 2014, shooting of Erick Bell Douglas. This offence occurred just two days before Adams had shot and killed Nathan Trapuzzano.
He was sentenced to an additional 12 years imprisonment (to be served consecutively to the 55 years murder sentence), for the earlier offences .... but since both offences occurred before a change to the state laws, Adams is eligible to serve just half that time in prison with good behaviour i.e. 33 years for both sentences.
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| Nathan And Jennifer Trapuzzano |
Mr Trapuzzano worked as an Ivy Tech Community College computer programmer, who held degrees in Latin and Greek. He and wife Jennifer had been expecting their first child, who was born three weeks after his death. Nathan's sister Shayne Trapuzzano said that "I feel that the system definitely failed us." The family believed Adams should have qualified for whole of life in prison sentence .... but given Adams tender age (which meant a life sentence via a jury was unlikely), the plea deal was the best option available. Adams would have faced 45 to 65 years, had a jury convicted him, so the 55 years was the median sentence.
"It’s just really hard for me to fathom that any amount of time punishes someone for taking the life of another person," Ms Trapuzzano added. Jennifer Trapuzzano has since founded The Nathan Trapuzzano Memorial Foundation to provide financial relief and support to children who have lost a parent. The foundation has already helped a number of children since its inception and holds an annual walk fund raiser in his memory.
Sadly this sort of crime is not uncommon these days, but I thought that there was some small irony in that the locations of both of his convicted crimes were connected, via Dr. Martin Luther King Jr street, in the city. When he said he had a dream, did Dr. Martin Luther King Jr ever fear that it might end up with the nightmare of the Simeon Adams of this world?
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