INDIANAPOLIS — A former North Central High School student was found guilty of stabbing another student in the heart and brain in 2021.
Wyatt Maxey, who was 18 at the time, has been convicted of Attempted Murder, Aggravated Battery and Possession of a Knife on School Property after a two-day jury trial.
On the morning of Sept. 8, 2021, Washington Township School Police officers responded to a fight between students at North Central High School.
Upon arrival, they located the 17-year-old victim suffering from multiple stab wounds.
A witness told police the victim said he was involved in an argument on Instagram with Maxey, who allegedly threatened to kill him. The witness said they and the victim were walking towards North Central High School when Maxey called out to the victim saying, “Come on, let’s fight” and “Y’all got five seconds before I slice you.”
The witness said they turned around and saw Maxey with a black folding knife in his right hand. The witness and victim told Maxey to put the knife down, and the victim ran inside the school.
Court documents said Maxey chased after the victim with the knife, and the witness told police they saw Maxey stab the victim at least once.
Maxey told police he was “angry and was not thinking” as he followed the victim toward the school, pulled out the knife he kept in his pocket and “poked” the victim four or five times.
He later told the detective he wanted “to take responsibility for what (I) did” and that he was sorry.
“This case is a gut-wrenching example of youth violence, and we are grateful that the victim of this incident survived his injuries due to the swift actions of school administrators and first responders,” Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said. “No student should fear for their life while at school, and no parent should share that fear. This kind of behavior will not be tolerated in our schools or community.”
