Elkhart man pleads guilty in victim's murder, dismemberment in Fort Wayne

Jul. 16—FORT WAYNE — An Elkhart man has admitted to his role in the murder and dismemberment of a man in Fort Wayne earlier in April.

Jacob Carreon-Hamilton, 20, appeared in an Allen County court for a hearing in the case Thursday. He pleaded guilty to a Level 5 felony count of assisting a criminal in a murder and Level 6 felony counts of abuse of a corpse and resisting law enforcement, an attorney at the Allen County Prosecutor's Office said.

Carreon-Hamilton and Mathew Cramer, 21, of Fort Wayne, were arrested during an investigation into the killing of Shane Nguyen, who had been reported missing on April 23.

Fort Wayne police detectives gathered evidence alleging Cramer had asked Nguyen for a ride out of Elkhart and to Fort Wayne. They traveled to Cramer's storage unit in Fort Wayne where Cramer then allegedly killed Nguyen, according to details in a probable cause affidavit.

Leaving the body in the unit, Cramer returned to Elkhart County, with evidence showing he, Carreon-Hamilton and a third man purchased items such as tarps, hacksaw blades and shovels from Lowe's Home Improvement and Walmart stores in Goshen, according to the affidavit.

Cramer and Carreon-Hamilton went back to the storage unit in Fort Wayne where Cramer allegedly dismembered Nguyen's body. The remains were then loaded into the back of Nguyen's van, the affidavit shows.

As they attempted to dispose of the remains, the van was spotted by a Fort Wayne police officer, which led to a pursuit. The van eventually crashed in a yard east of the city's downtown area. Cramer and Carreon-Hamilton allegedly were able to flee. Nguyen's remains were found in the van at the scene, according to the affidavit.

The suspects were arrested later as detectives investigated. While interviewed, Carreon-Hamilton allegedly told police he wasn't involved in Nguyen's death, and he didn't know about it until they reached the storage unit in Fort Wayne, nor did he know why they were buying tools, the affidavit shows.

Carreon-Hamilton also allegedly said when he saw the body, he went back to the van while Cramer dismembered it. However, Cramer allegedly told police Carreon-Hamilton held the body down and coached him on cuts to make, according to the affidavit.

The prosecutor's office did not disclose terms of Carreon-Hamilton's plea agreement during a phone call. His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 20 in Allen County Superior Court 6.

That would follow Cramer's trial, which is scheduled to begin Dec. 13. He's charged with murder and felony counts of abuse of a corpse and resisting arrest in the same court.

SENTENCING

Meanwhile, several hearings were held in Elkhart County Circuit Court on Thursday.

Among them, Tyrice Edmonson, of Elkhart appeared for initial hearings in two cases, including one where he's charged in a robbery that occurred in Goshen last year.

Edmonson, 27, was arrested July 8 after Goshen police said he ran from a traffic stop at C.R. 20 and Pine Ridge Parkway. In that case, he's charged with a misdemeanor counts of resisting law enforcement and false informing.

At the time of his arrest, police had sought Edmonson while he was wanted on a warrant in the robbery case, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Edmonson was charged with a Level 3 felony count of robbery resulting in bodily injury in June 2020. He and another man, Kevin Evans of Elkhart, allegedly went with a woman, LaNecia Sharp-Taylor of Goshen, while she confronted her boyfriend over photos on his phone. The men then allegedly robbed and beat the man before leaving him in a dumpster in the 2800 block of Eisenhower Drive North on April 7, 2020.

In both cases Thursday, Judge Michael Christofeno entered not-guilty pleas on Edmonson's behalf and appointed a public defender to represent him. Christofeno then scheduled Edmonson to face a jury trial in the robbery case on Jan. 10, 2022, but also a bench trial in the resisting case on that same day because of the misdemeanor charges in that case.

Evans, 27, is scheduled to stand trial Aug. 16 while facing robbery and false informing charges.

Sharp-Taylor, 24, pleaded guilty to a Level 3 count of aiding, inducing or causing robbery in November 2020. She was then sentenced to a 9-year term to be served as two years in prison, two-and-a-half years through Michiana Community Corrections and four-and-a-half years of probation.

Aimee Ambrose can be reached at aimee.ambrose@goshennews.com or 574-533-2151, ext. 240316. Follow her on Twitter at @aambrose_TGN.