INDIANAPOLIS — Orlando Mitchell has been sentenced to 66 years in the Indiana Department of Correction for the murder of Krystal Walton, the mother of his son, outside an Indianapolis daycare in 2022.
The jury found Mitchell guilty after deliberating for a little over an hour following a three-day trial.
Walton was shot and killed in the parking lot of a west-side daycare shortly after dropping off her children. At the time of her death, she had a protective order against Walton and had warned police that she feared for her life. The jury also found Mitchell guilty of invasion of privacy.
WATCH | Family remembers Krystal Walton 1 year after she was killed
During the trial, jurors heard compelling testimony from daycare employees and a nearby business owner, along with video evidence showing Mitchell waiting outside the daycare, hiding behind a light pole as Walton took her children inside. This premeditated behavior was a crucial aspect of the prosecution's case.
After the shooting, police confronted Mitchell, who was armed with a rifle. Authorities reported that he refused commands to drop the weapon and pointed it at officers, leading them to fire and wound him before taking him into custody.
This verdict comes as Mitchell faces additional serious accusations, including the killing of a Marion County Sheriff's Office deputy while in custody. In July 2023, while being transported from a medical appointment, Mitchell attacked Deputy John Durm with his handcuffs, choking the deputy before briefly escaping in a transport van. He crashed the vehicle outside of the jail after the escape.
WATCH | Loved ones remember MSCO Deputy John Durm
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears stated that the guilty verdict for Walton's murder sets up the possibility of the death penalty in the case.
