HENDRICKS COUNTY — The Hendricks County Prosecutor's Office is seeking the death penalty for the first time in the office's history for a Plainfield man accused of killing two Hispanic men in 2022.
On Monday, Hendricks County Prosecutor Loren Delp filed a motion with the Indiana Supreme Court stating the office's intention to seek the death penalty for Dalonny Rodgers.
Rodgers is accused of killing two people and wounding two others in a shooting outside White House Suites Plainfield in September 2022.
That day, officers found several people shot near a gazebo on the north end of the property.
Witness statements to police indicated Rodgers, 28 at the time, repeatedly taunted the victims — who were all Hispanic — while they were socializing. One witness said Rodgers stated "F*** Latinos" toward them before returning armed and opening fire.
The shooting resulted in the deaths of Alfredo Garcia, 52, and Jose Rolando Castenada Varela, 36. Two other men were hospitalized.
Moments after the shooting, Rodgers stole one of the victims vehicles and fled.
Approximately 11 shots were heard before Rodgers drove away from the scene, according to court documents.
Rodgers was arrested over a year later in Massachusetts and was extradited to Indiana in February 2024.
Records show, Rodgers was charged with a murder in a separate case in 2014. However, he was acquitted after pleading guilty to reckless homicide and carrying a handgun without a license.
A judge ordered him to serve consecutive sentences of six years, with two suspended on the reckless homicide count, and six years, with one suspended on the handgun violation.
Currently, Rodgers is charged with two counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder. His jury trial is scheduled for Dec. 3, 2024.
“This is the first time in modern history our office has sought the death penalty,” Prosecutor Delp said. “In the State of Indiana, the death penalty is reserved for the rarest of homicide cases. It is a decision that must not be taken lightly.”
Governor Holcomb and Attorney General Todd Rokita recently pushed the resumption of executions in Indiana prisons, with the last execution in the state being 15 years ago.
