Elkhart Four felony murder convictions overturned by Indiana Supreme Court

Read the original article source of this excerpt.

Indy Star on 09/18/2015

(This is a follow-up to a previously published article.)

elkhartThe Indiana Supreme Court threw out the felony murder convictions of inmates connected to theElkhart Four, a group of four young men who gained international attention after they were convicted for the shooting death of their friend even though none of them pulled the trigger.

Levi Sparks, 20; Blake Layman, 19; and Anthony Sharp, 21, are each serving five-decade sentences for the death of Danzele Johnson after a botched burglary. While the state’s highest court overturned the felony murder convictions, the justices ruled that they’re guilty of burglary, a Class B felony punishable by six to 20 years in prison.

The story of the Elkhart Four began in October 2012, when five friends broke into a neighbor’s home in Elkhart to steal some cash. Johnson, 21, was shot and killed by the homeowner. The remaining four, who were all teenagers at that time, were charged, convicted and sentenced for Johnson’s death.