Suspect in Elwood police officer's death has several prior criminal convictions, records show

INDIANA — WRTV Investigates has learned the suspect preliminarily charged with murder in the shooting death of Elwood Police Officer Noah Shahnavaz has several previous criminal convictions.

Carl Roy Webb Boards II's criminal record stretches back to 1998, when he was convicted of battery in Grant County.

WRTV Investigates found that Boards was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2000 or 2001 and didn't keep up with his medicines.

In 2001, Boards was convicted of Unlawful Firearm Possession by [a] Serious Felon and Possession of Cocaine or Narcotic Drug charges in Howard County.

WRTV reported in 2006 that Boards, age 26 at the time, was charged with attempted murder and other charges after leading Indianapolis Metro Police on a chase and firing on three officers.

Boards crashed on the Kessler bridge over I-65 in 2006, and police said they used a Taser to subdue him when he fought with officers.

Investigators said in 2006 they found weapons in his vehicle including a pistol and loaded a-k 47 with 97 live rounds.

In 2007, following a jury trial, the court found him guilty of criminal recklessness, resisting law enforcement, possession of a controlled substance, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious felon.

Boards was not convicted of attempted murder.

The Marion County court found Boards to be a habitual offender and enhanced the handgun conviction.

The court sentenced Boards to a 25 year aggregate sentence in connection to that case.

In 2008, the Court of Appeals rejected a request to overturn his conviction, citing that Boards has failed to take prescribed medications to combat his illness.

"In light of the dangerous situation created by Boards, we are amazed that no serious injuries or deaths resulted to police or bystanders," read the appeal court decision.

Boards claimed his sentence was inappropriate because he suffered from mental illness that needs treatment.

"He claims that on the night in question he was patrolling Indianapolis for terrorists and that he shot toward the police officers only because he did not want them to interfere with his protective mission," read the appeals court decision.

Prior to 2014 criminal code reform, offenders were only required to serve 50% of their executed time.

So, despite a 25-year sentence, records show Boards was incarcerated in the Indiana Department of Correction for 11.5 years.

TIMELINE

• 11/30/2006- Boards booked at Marion County jail
• 9/10/2007- Boards incarcerated at Indiana prison
• 5/6/2019- Boards released to community transition program
• 8/16/2019- Boards released to parole
• 8/16/2021- Boards completed parole

Boards also earned credit for the time he spent in the Marion County jail awaiting his trial prior to the 2014 criminal code reform.

Novella Nedeff, an associate professor at the IU McKinney School of Law, said the idea behind the 2014 reform was to ease the burden on the Indiana Department of Correction regarding less serious crimes and to increase the penalties for more serious, violent crimes.

“We used to give people who maintained good behavior 50 percent off of their sentence and of course there was some criticism about that being too generous,” said Nedeff. “We changed it from reducing sentences in half to reducing them just by a quarter. So, the person would now have to serve 75 percent of the sentence."

The Marion County prosecutor’s office declined to comment on the 2006 case involving Carl Boards.

Carl Brizzi was the Marion County prosecutor in 2006 and 2007.

Brizzi died of a stroke earlier this year.

BOARDS' CRIMINAL HISTORY TIMELINE

2007: MARION COUNTY (2006 incident involving IMPD)

• Criminal Recklessness
• Unlawful Firearm Possession by a Serious Felon
• Resisting Law Enforcement
• Possession of a Controlled Substance
• Firearm within 1 mile of School Property Without a License

2001: HOWARD COUNTY

• Unlawful Firearm Possession by Serious Felon
• Possession of Cocaine or Narcotic Drug

1999: GRANT COUNTY

• Battery
  

Boards faces preliminary charges of murder, possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon and resisting law enforcement in connection to
Madison County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Andrew Hanna said his office planned to file formal charges against Boards on Monday.

"After reviewing all of the evidence and discussion with the family and all those involved, we will make a determination as to whether we seek the death penalty," Hanna said.

Boards is currently in the Hamilton County Jail without bond.

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