FRANKLIN — A drug deal was behind the murder of a young Franklin man, according to the Johnson County Prosecutor.
18-year-old Donovan Burdine died in the front yard of a Franklin house on January 25. 20-year-old Emilo Luis Garcia of Indianapolis faces a number of charges, including murder.
The prosecutor and police have released a detailed account of what happened last Saturday behind the Boys and Girls Club of Johnson County building on Hurricane Street in Franklin.
Investigators determined an argument broke out during a drug transaction between Garcia and Burdine and a number of other people who were present. Garcia and another man had traveled from Indianapolis to Franklin to sell marijuana.
Burdine was shot 12 times, according to the probable cause affidavit. When he was no longer able to move, Garcia took Burdine's gun and shot him twice in the back of the head. Burdine was dead at the scene.
After a series of interviews with detectives, Garcia, who at first denied even being in Franklin, admitted to the shooting.
"As often times is the case, the source of violent crime in Johnson County is drug dealing," said Prosecutor Joe Villanueva. "That is why it is more important than ever to focus on taking drug dealers off the streets."
Garcia is being held in the Johnson County Jail. If convicted, he could face a prison sentence of more than 50 years.
