A 17-year-old Indianapolis teen has agreed to spend most of his adult life behind bars, signing a plea deal that would send him to prison for 45 years in the killing of 18-year-old Makayla Bauman. Bauman was shot on the night of Sept. 29, 2024, and later died at a local hospital. The agreement caps months of investigation and court activity and sets up a July 1 hearing, when a judge will be asked to accept the deal and impose the negotiated sentence.
Under the terms of the agreement, the sentence would be 45 years in prison, and separate counts of robbery and a juvenile firearms charge would be dismissed if the judge signs off. Court records indicate the defendant, identified in filings as Carter, was 16 at the time of the shooting and has since been transferred into the adult court system. He is scheduled to appear for a combined change-of-plea and sentencing hearing on July 1, according to reporting by WTHR.
Case timeline
Police were called just after 9 p.m. on Sept. 29, 2024, to the 5900 block of Riva Ridge Drive on a report of a person shot. Officers arrived to find Bauman critically wounded, with her 15-year-old brother at the scene. Paramedics rushed Bauman to a hospital, where she later died. Prosecutors subsequently filed murder and related charges in Marion County, details that appear in charging documents and an affidavit compiled by investigators, as outlined in records published by WISHTV.
Prosecutors' account
According to prosecutors, the shooting unfolded during what investigators described as a drug-sale meeting that suddenly turned violent. The affidavit and witness statements allege that Carter and another person ran up to a vehicle and demanded property. A witness quoted in the probable-cause file said one of the men shouted, "Give me everything" just before gunfire broke out. Law & Crime reviewed local court filings and reporting to summarize those allegations.
What the plea does
If the judge accepts the agreement in open court, Carter will receive a 45-year sentence, and the state will drop the robbery count and a firearms charge tied to his status as a juvenile at the time of the offense. Prosecutors told reporters the deal secures a lengthy punishment while avoiding the uncertainty and potential appeals that can follow a jury trial. The agreement is not final until it is presented and accepted by a judge at the July 1 hearing, according to WTHR.
Legal context
Indiana law allows for long terms in murder cases, and a 45-year prison sentence sits toward the lower end of the statute's decades-long sentencing range for homicide. While federal and state precedents bar the death penalty for juvenile offenders, minors who are charged as adults can still face substantial prison time under state law. Judges weigh aggravating and mitigating factors before imposing a sentence within the statutory range, as summarized by legal reference materials from FindLaw.
Next steps
Carter is scheduled to appear in Marion County court on July 1 when the judge will decide whether to accept the plea deal and impose the agreed 45-year term. If the court signs off, the plea will resolve the murder case. If the judge rejects it, the case could be steered back toward trial. Victim-impact statements and recommendations from prosecutors are likely to play a role at the hearing as the court weighs how to formally close out the case.
