A Hendricks County jury on Wednesday found 37-year-old Curtis Cutler guilty in the 2023 Plainfield road-rage shooting that critically injured a pregnant woman and forced doctors to deliver her baby early by emergency C-section. Jurors convicted Cutler of attempted murder and related weapons offenses and also determined he is a habitual felony offender. He is scheduled to be sentenced March 24 in Hendricks Superior Court 5.
What happened
Prosecutors said the shooting unfolded on March 1, 2023, when gunfire came from the driver’s side of a small white cargo van and struck 20-year-old Julianna M. Martinez as she sat in the front passenger seat. The jury returned guilty verdicts on counts that prosecutors said included aggravated battery, criminal recklessness and unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent offender, as reported by WISH-TV.
Investigation and charges
Plainfield police say the shooting happened at the intersection of Solidago Drive and Township Line Road and that investigators relied on ballistic analysis, cellphone data, surveillance video and witness statements to build the case, according to a town news release by Town of Plainfield. Officers arrested Cutler on Oct. 20, 2023, and he was charged with attempted murder, aggravated battery, criminal recklessness and unlawful firearm possession.
Victim and medical update
Martinez, then about 29 weeks pregnant, was rushed to a hospital where doctors performed an emergency C-section to save her baby. Both mother and newborn survived after several days in care, according to reporting by WRTV. Bystanders provided first aid at a home where the victims sought help after the shooting, the station reported.
Charges and legal consequences
The jury also found Cutler to be a habitual felony offender, a designation prosecutors said can increase potential penalties under Indiana law. Prosecutors told jurors that the combination of the violent facts of the case and Cutler’s criminal record supported an enhanced sentence. Cutler remains in custody ahead of his March 24 sentencing, as reported by WISH-TV.
Investigation credited to police
Plainfield police credited Detective Taylor Tritle with leading the multi-agency investigation that used search warrants and forensic work to identify the van and its driver, the town release says. Officials said the case combined traditional detective work with ballistic and digital evidence to build the prosecution’s case, according to the Town of Plainfield news release.
Sentencing next week is expected to bring the formal close to a case that began in March 2023 and drew sustained attention in Plainfield. Court filings and public statements from the Hendricks County system and Plainfield Police will provide the official record after the March 24 hearing.
