Marvin T. Golden Jr., 26, of Indianapolis, has been sentenced to 13 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and one count of distribution of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and evidence presented at the sentencing hearing, on October 26, 2022, Shelby County Sheriff’s Deputies observed Golden, Jr. sell 55 grams of methamphetamine while his children were sitting in the back seat of his car. On November 3, 2022, Golden sold another 20 grams of methamphetamine and a gram of fentanyl in Shelby County.
In the early hours of March 25, 2023, Anthony Shelman was shot to death in Marion County. At approximately 3:25 a.m., Shelman was driving east on I-70 with a passenger in his car. As they approached the Emerson Avenue exit, multiple rounds were fired at their vehicle.
Shelman was shot in the chest, his passenger was shot in the hand, and the vehicle crashed into a light pole at the intersection after the Emerson Avenue exit, and two other nearby vehicles fled the scene at high speed. Shelman was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at a local hospital, and his passenger survived. Police later identified multiple gunshot holes in the windshield and passenger side of the vehicle.
The Indiana State Police began an extensive investigation of the killing, including an extensive review of video evidence from traffic and surveillance cameras. Troopers discovered that Shelman, his passenger, Golden, and another individual were all at the Sunset Strip Club in Indianapolis immediately before the shooting.
Golden and the other individual were waiting outside the club when Shelman and his passenger drove away. Golden and the other individual each followed Shelman in their own vehicles. The two vehicles followed Shelman for more than 10 minutes and over seven miles before exiting I-70 at Emerson Avenue at the same time, the shots were apparently fired and fled at high speed after the shooting.
At approximately 7:00 that same morning, Golden is seen on video extensively cleaning his car for 10 minutes in the pouring rain, including moving the seats and shining a light in an apparent effort to locate objects in the car.
On May 3, 2023, Troopers conducted a court-authorised search of Golden’s home and seized a .40 calibre Glock 27 handgun. The gun was previously possessed by a relative of Golden’s, and forensic testing found that it was the gun used to kill Shelman. DNA testing identified Golden’s DNA on multiple parts of the gun.
At Golden’s federal sentencing hearing, the judge enhanced his advisory sentencing range after finding that Golden possessed the murder weapon in connection with a felony offence related to Shelman’s murder.
On August 28, 2023, Indiana State Police Troopers and two Shelby County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested Golden and seized a loaded Glock 9mm handgun from his person.
Unsealed court records demonstrate that Golden was previously a member of a street gang referred to as the Mob. He was charged as a juvenile in federal court for his role in a series of armed robberies of pharmacies committed when he was 17 years old.
Golden and his co-conspirators stole drugs from the pharmacies at gunpoint and then sold the stolen drugs. Golden brandished firearms and pointed them at victims’ heads during multiple robberies. At one of the robberies Golden participated in, two members of the conspiracy got into a dispute, and one shot the other in the head, killing him. The following day, Golden robbed another pharmacy at gunpoint.
In 2019, Golden was sentenced as a juvenile to time served, the maximum penalty available under the law, and given one year of juvenile probation. His co-conspirators were charged and convicted in federal court under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
He was later convicted of additional drug and gun offences as an adult and was a felon when he conducted both drug deals and possessed both firearms, including the murder weapon. As a previously convicted felon, Golden was prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law.
