A Bloomington man was convicted yesterday of murdering Malik Sims, whose body was found along a rural Owen County road in 2024, bringing a two-year case to a jury verdict. Quentin Porter Jr. was found guilty on five charges, including murder, after a trial that put phone records, surveillance footage and vehicle evidence under the microscope. He is scheduled to be sentenced next month and faces at least 45 years in prison.
The jury found Porter guilty of murder, auto theft, identity deception and two misdemeanor theft counts, according to WTHR. The verdict followed a trial in Owen Circuit Court that focused on what happened after Sims disappeared from Bloomington and was later found dead outside Ellettsville.
Sims, 23, was found dead on July 15, 2024, along Stephenson Road northwest of Ellettsville near the Monroe-Owen county line. An autopsy determined that he died from a single gunshot wound to the head, according to The Owen News.
Investigators built the case through phone records, witness accounts and vehicle tracking. Citing court documents, The Bloomingtonian reported that Sims’ gray Audi was tracked from Bloomington to Indianapolis, where it was found at the home of Porter’s grandmother, with investigators reporting blood and signs of an attempted cleanup inside.
Trial Evidence Included Digital Trails And DNA
Jurors heard testimony about Flock Safety camera footage, a phone traced to Kentucky, blood found in Sims’ Audi and DNA from both Sims and Porter recovered from a handgun. The Owen News also reported that a firearms examiner could not determine whether bullets presented at trial had been fired from the weapon.
Porter maintained that he did not kill Sims and told detectives that a person in a white SUV was responsible. He said he drove away afterward because he feared being mistaken for the shooter, a defense account prosecutors argued did not match the physical and digital evidence presented in court.
Sentencing Is Set For August 26
Porter is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 26, 2026. WTHR reports that he faces at least 45 years in prison, though the final sentence will be determined by the court.
The case was previously covered by Hoodline after Sims’ body was discovered and investigators began coordinating across Owen County, Bloomington and Indiana State Police. The new conviction marks a major development in what began as an unanswered roadside death and became a lengthy criminal prosecution.
