Indianapolis man found guilty of murdering ex-girlfriend outside daycare

INDIANAPOLIS — After just 90 minutes of deliberations, a jury found an Indianapolis man guilty of murdering the mother of his child outside a daycare on Indy’s near west side.

The conviction concluded the first of two high-profile murder trials against Orlando Mitchell.

Jurors convicted Orlando Mitchell of killing Krystal Walton, his ex-girlfriend, in September 2022. His trial started on Monday. Testimony wrapped up Tuesday.

During the brief trial, both sides agreed that Mitchell committed the killing.

The family of Krystal Walton says they’re relieved her killer has been convicted of murder, but they still mourn her death.

“It’s like a victory that’s indescribable,” said the victim’s father, Christopher Walton.

Mitchell was arrested the same day as the shooting after he was shot and wounded by police in downtown.

Nearly two and a half years later, a jury finally found Mitchell guilty of Walton’s murder.

“We’ve been waiting a long time for this, so I’ll call this justice for Krystal, phase one. We’re very, very pleased with the outcome,” said Walton.

During closing arguments, Mitchell’s attorneys asked the jury to convict him of voluntary manslaughter instead of murder.

The defense insisted Mitchell acted in “sudden heat” because he was emotionally distraught over being kept away from his child.

For their part, prosecutors played surveillance video from the daycare, which showed Mitchell stalking Walton and waiting for her to arrive at the daycare, which made the killing unprovoked and premeditated.

“She didn’t stand a chance and this creepy predator violently and viciously attacked her,” said Walton. “So we’re jumping for joy on the inside, but we’re trying to figure out why this due process hurts so bad.”

“It was especially rewarding for that family to hear the words guilty, which they’ve been waiting for a very long time,” said Marion County prosecutor Ryan Mears.

This is the first of two murder cases against Mitchell.

He’s also charged with murder in the death of Marion County Sheriff’s Deputy John Durm during a failed escape attempt at the Marion County Jail in July 2023.

That case is being tried separately. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Durm’s death.

“We certainly understand there is another family grieving their loss and looking for justice as well, so this is the first step for us moving forward,” said Mears.

The murder conviction against Mitchell is important to the state’s death penalty case because it can now serve as an aggravator that would justify Mitchell being put to death.

Sentencing for the murder conviction has been set for early April.

In addition to murder, Mitchell was also found guilty of invasion of privacy for violating the protective order that Walton filed against him prior to the shooting.