A Brownsburg man has been ordered to spend 55 years in prison for the 2024 shooting that killed 20-year-old Carlos Neri-Guzman at a neighborhood clubhouse and park, closing one chapter in a case that started as a planned gun sale and ended with gunfire and a car crashing into a nearby home.
Darrius Tolbert received the sentence in Hendricks County after being found responsible for the fatal shooting, according to Fox 59. The court cited several aggravating factors, including Tolbert’s role as the instigator, the presence of children near the park, his refusal to accept responsibility, and the fact that he fathered a child with his girlfriend while the murder investigation was still underway.
A Gun Deal Turned Deadly In Seconds
The Indiana Court of Appeals later described the encounter as an apparent meeting for Neri-Guzman to sell a Glock handgun for $850. Court records say Tolbert and Jeremy Briscoe walked up to Neri-Guzman’s vehicle, pulled their weapons within seconds, and opened fire as he tried to drive away.
Neri-Guzman was hit under the right armpit, with the bullet traveling through his chest, according to the appellate opinion. His vehicle then slammed into the back of a home, where responding deputies found him with a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to WIBC.
Co-Defendant Already Serving Lengthy Term
Lab testing confirmed that Tolbert fired the bullet that killed Neri-Guzman, Fox 59 reported. Prosecutor Loren Delp said Tolbert showed a complete disregard for human life in what he called a senseless act.
Briscoe, who was 15 at the time of the shooting, was charged as an adult and sentenced to 45 years in prison. The Indiana Court of Appeals upheld his murder conviction after rejecting his argument that he acted in self-defense.
The appellate record states that both teenagers walked directly to Neri-Guzman’s car, fired as he tried to get away, and then left without calling 911. With Tolbert’s sentencing now finished, both defendants in the Brownsburg killing are serving long prison terms for a shooting that unfolded in a residential neighborhood within sight and earshot of children and families.
