Indy man sentenced to 116 years for murder of 2 women in Lawrence

INDIANAPOLIS — A 116-year sentence has been handed down to an Indianapolis man convicted of murdering two women during a triple shooting in Lawrence last year.

Shedding tears and letting their sadness and anger pour out on the stand, multiple family members of 19-year-old cousins Aaliyah Wortman and Londyn Coleman came to court and told their convicted killer, Malik Shaw, how much pain he caused their families.

“It has changed me and broke me,” said the victim’s grandmother, Sharon Wortman.

“We are hurting. We are hurt. We will never be the same and you just sit there,” cried the mother of one of the victim’s Avin Artis.

Last month, a jury convicted Shaw of killing both women at an apartment complex near 45th and Post in April of last year.

A third victim, 27-year-old Spencer Lawson Jr., was also shot to death.

While jurors convicted Shaw for killing the two women, they deadlocked on whether he was responsible for the murder of the third victim.

“He’s a cold-blooded killer and he doesn’t deserve the right to be on the streets,” said the victim’s aunt, Romona Smith.

Listening to those pleas, Shaw showed no remorse and still maintains his innocence.

“My soul came out of my body the minute I lost my girl and it’s never coming back. Nothing I say here matters, because he doesn’t care,” said the mother of one of the women, Elizabeth Hawkins.

“He just didn’t care. He didn’t have no remorse for what he did,” said the victim’s aunt, Lisa Johnson.

While Shaw’s lack of emotion in court upset the victim’s families, they were pleased with the 116-year prison sentence handed down by the judge.

“We’re glad we got justice today. He got what he deserves. He doesn’t deserve to breathe, but we’re happy with what we got,” said the victim’s aunt, Martina Smith.

In addition to Shaw, court records detail how a second suspect also took part in the killing, but that person died before charges were ever filed.

Prosecutors claim a cell phone found near the scene belonged to Shaw. That helped police quickly identify him as one of two men responsible for the murders.

Shaw was also seen on surveillance video at a nearby sports bar where he paid a stranger to give him a ride away from the scene.

On the night of the triple homicide, Shaw did have an active warrant for his arrest dating back to September 2023, when he allegedly violated the terms of his probation after pleading guilty to drug and weapons charges.

Shaw can appeal both his conviction and sentence. A hearing has been set for next month to decide whether or not prosecutors will retry him for the third murder case.