Police Make Arrest in Savage Killing of Indianapolis Pastor’s Pregnant Wife

INDIANAPOLIS (TheBlaze/AP) -- The husband of a pregnant Indianapolis woman fatally shot during an apparent home invasion said Monday that he's "extremely relieved" police have arrested a suspect in her killing but said it doesn't "undo the pain we are feeling."

Pastor Davey Blackburn said in a statement that he's grateful for the overnight arrest of 18-year-old Larry Taylor on a preliminary murder charge in Amanda Blackburn's killing, which came about two weeks after her death.

"Though it does not undo the pain we are feeling, I was extremely relieved to get the news of the arrest made last night of Amanda's killer," Davey Blackburn said.

(Image source: WISH-TV)

He said investigators have told him they have a "solidly-built case." Blackburn said he hopes the "court system would have wisdom on how to prosecute this man, so that no one else endures the pain Amanda and our family have had to endure because of his actions."

Amanda Blackburn, 28, was shot in the head during the Nov. 10 attack at the couple's home and died the next day. She was 13 weeks pregnant and the child did not survive. The couple's 15-month-old son, Weston, was at home upstairs in a crib but was not harmed in the attack. Davey Blackburn had gone to the gym that morning and returned home to find his wounded wife.

Officers from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department's gang and violent crime units arrested Taylor with help from U.S. Marshals, police said in a news release.

It wasn't immediately clear whether Taylor had an attorney. The Marion County Prosecutor's Office was expected to review the case.

Indianapolis police did not immediately return messages left Monday morning seeking additional details about the arrest. A spokeswoman for the Marion County prosecutor's office also did not immediately respond to a request for comment on when formal charges might be filed against Taylor.

"All victims of criminal homicides deserve closure, and as a community we must send a collective message that violence is not an option," Police Chief Rick Hite said in a statement. "Our detectives have worked tirelessly going days without sleep to solve murders in our city."

Authorities said investigators would continue to follow all leads, including talking with individuals who may have knowledge of the case.

A Fox affiliate reported that two more suspects were arrested in connection to the case. Fox News reports:

Fox 59 reported that two other suspects, identified as Jalen Watson and Diano Gordon, have been arrested in relation to the Nov. 10 murder. The station also reported that all three will be charged in at least three more burglaries as well as a sexual assault.

It was not immediately clear whether the three suspects were the same three people who were arrested and questioned Thursday after police issued search warrants for three different locations in the city.

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Authorities allege that while two of the suspects left the house to withdraw money with the pastor's ATM card, Taylor raped Amanda before shooting her. The crime took place with the couple's 15-month-old son lying in his crib upstairs.

The Blackburns moved to Indianapolis from South Carolina to found the independent Resonate Church in 2012.

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