Indy man charged with murder after deadly assault in downtown Indy

INDIANAPOLIS — Murder charges have been filed against a homeless man accused of beating another man to death in downtown Indianapolis.

The walls of the old Marion County Jail II and arrestee processing center are being torn down to build new apartment lofts along West Market Street, but that construction zone is where cameras showed 57-year-old Fritz Bernier being beaten to death in the middle of the street on Monday evening.

The affidavit details a bloody fight between the victim and 38-year-old Cortney Coleman.

Police claim the victim was armed with a metal pole, with the suspect carrying a large piece of wood. Both men were seen swinging the weapons at each other until the victim appeared to trip.

While on the ground, the suspect allegedly hit the victim multiple times in the head, with the victim being unresponsive during most of these strikes.

“We have the Stand Your Ground law where you don’t have to retreat,” said attorney Mario Massillamany. “But when he continued to hit him, that’s when it went beyond reasonable force to protect yourself.”

Massillamany isn’t connected to the case, but said Indiana courts do not allow people to use deadly force against an unconscious person.

“In Indiana, we want to make sure people can protect themselves,” he said. “However there are limits. When the threat subsides, you can’t go chasing someone. You can’t continue to strike them once they’re on the ground and defenseless.”

After the assault, the accused killer walked away before being spotted by a security officer at the Wheeler Mission, where he was arrested. The suspect told police he was resting at a homeless camp under I-65 when the victim hit him with a rock, which set off the brawl.

While the victim died Thursday night, Coleman repeatedly insisted he was simply defending himself during their fight.

Jail records show both the victim and suspect had lengthy criminal histories and both men had been in and out of the Marion County jail 30 times over the last 20 years. The suspect had been arrested and released from jail 3 times this year alone.

Coleman made his initial hearing on Friday and is now being held without bond pending trial.