Authorities in Indiana say a road rage incident turned lethal when a 23-year-old woman shot a driver who honked at her when she didn’t drive through a traffic light as soon as it turned green.
Now, Deborah Benefiel faces murder and criminal recklessness charges in connection with the death of 21-year-old Kentrell Settles.
Authorities say the fatal shooting happened on Oct. 17 in Indianapolis.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by the IndyStar, police responded to a shots-fired call in the city’s west side, where they found Settles with a gunshot wound inside a gold 2006 Chevrolet Malibu.
He was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition, where he was pronounced dead. The bullet that hit Settles struck his lung and heart before lodging in his chest.
Settles’ girlfriend told investigators that Settles had picked her up earlier that afternoon to take her to her parents’ house. They stopped at a red light behind a mint green Ford SUV driven by a woman.
When the woman didn’t start driving after the light turned green, Settles honked at her and then drove around her car.
The SUV began following Settles’ car, and the woman inside was “yelling, screaming and throwing her hands around while inside the vehicle,” court documents state.
When Settles attempted to turn on another street, the woman caught up with him and fired one shot into his car, striking him in the chest. Settles’ girlfriend immediately hopped into his lap and drove the rest of the way to her parents’ home, where she called 911.
She said the shooter simply drove away. It would take police using license plate readers to track down the shooter. It helped detectives locate the green SUV and its owner just a few days after the shooting.
Investigators learned that Benefiel was the owner’s daughter.
She told police that the gun she used was in a bag in her apartment. Cops found a .40-caliber Glock handgun in a purse, according to court documents.
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said that Benefiel had no prior criminal history before the shooting and called the crime absolutely senseless.
“We see a lot of road rage incidents in the city, but this one is distinguishable because of a single honk of the horn,” Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears told IndyStar. “Usually there’s more than just a horn that gets people fired up on the road whether it’s yelling or trying to brake check someone. This just illustrates a complete senselessness.”
Settles’ father, Kenneth Murff, said that his son was “loved by so many people,” and that his life “was taken for no reason.”
“He didn’t do anything wrong and for it to still happen, it troubles you as a father,” Murff said.
