Two Elkhart man involved in a murder and bank robbery have avoided murder charges by pleading guilty to lesser charges.
15-year-old Keishawn Chew agreed to plead guilty to robbery with a deadly weapon and robbery resulting in serious injury this week. 21-year-old Joemongee White followed suit on Thursday. Both of them were scheduled to go to trial on Monday.
The Elkhart Truth reports Chew agreed to spend 25 years in prison followed by 15 years on probation while White will spend 30 years in prison with 15 years on probation when they’re sentenced on October 12.
The two were accused of murdering Brandon Jackson on June 2016 in a home invasion robbery, but those charges were dropped. It was determined they weren’t armed when 20-year-old Tyrell Beavers shot and killed Jackson. He was sentenced to 45 years in prison earlier this year.
Instead, the armed robbery charges come from when they robbed the 1st Source Bank in Elkhart at gunpoint that same month.
Two others in the case, 20-year-old Shyla Southern and 22-year-old Danisha Sarll each were sentenced to 14 and three years in prison respectively for their roles in the Jackson murder and robbery.
