17-year-old arrested for role in murdering his father, IMPD says
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A 17-year-old has been arrested in connection to his father’s murder, court documents show.
David Perry is accused of killing his father, putting his body in a trash can, securing it and then dumping it in the White River.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department released a missing person advisory for Brandon Perry, 35, last week. He was last seen on May 26.
Court documents in David Perry’s criminal case say a family member had reported Brandon missing on May 29, saying he was last seen leaving his home to go to a job in Westfield.
That family member also told police Brandon had an heating, ventilation, and air conditioning business and kept his work equipment in an enclosed trailer that he always locked and hauled with his truck.
Police found the trailer May 27 in the 7200 block of East Thompson Road in Indianapolis. That’s just east of the roundabout at Five Points Road. The trailer had been detached from the truck and was sitting in and blocking a turn lane.
According to court documents, a resident in the neighborhood where the trailer was found told police he heard noises around midnight a night earlier. When he looked out the window of his home he saw the trailer parked facing west with a black Ford F-350 with oversized tires and a headlight out.
The resident said the truck was backed up to the back door of the trailer and a small, thin-build male took something out of the trailer, put it in the truck, and left.
The trailer was later identified as Brandon’s and it was registered to his business. The trailer was found with the rear and side doors open and nothing inside.
Later, police found Brandon’s truck, a 2015 Dodge Ram, in the parking lot of Mikie’s Pub and Grub on South Emerson Avenue just south of East Thompson Road. The family member who had reported Perry missing had found the truck and called the police.
IMPD began investigating Brandon’s disappearance on May 29, and homicide detectives eventually took over the case.
Court documents say family members searched Perry’s home for any clues to his whereabouts. While searching, they noticed what they believed to be a large amount of blood on the bottom of his mattress. After police were called, investigators found blood throughout the home. A dog was used to search the property, and detectives found Perry’s driver’s license, business card, and credit cards in a burn pit.
Police learned the only other person living in the home was David.
David told police that he last saw his father leaving for work between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. on May 26. David also said a handgun was missing from his father’s truck, which he believed to have been stolen a week prior.
David later told police that a handgun in a safe in his car looked like the missing handgun. David told police his father bought him that handgun for his 13th birthday, but never told anyone.
Police investigators ran a trace on the weapon found in the vehicle and discovered Brandon bought the handgun when his son would have been 8.
David told police he ordered some sort of key to take the hinges off his father’s gun safe so he could “get his stuff out of it.” Police found a safe in the home that contained weapons, a bag of cocaine, and over $31,000 in cash.
Searches of David’s phone showed searches for “safe cracking.”
Police reviewed security video from Mikie’s Pub and saw someone, who was not Brandon, leave his truck in the parking lot. The video was from the day after Brandon went missing. Police say a skinny male who was not Brandon is seen walking away from the vehicle. Court documents say police thought the male resembled David.
Later, police received a call from a family member who told them, “My brother is in the White River.” The family member eventually indicated they were on the way to the homicide office with David. The family member then told police that Brandon was in the White River in a trash can about an hour away; the family member declined to answer any other questions.
Police interviewed David with his mother. David indicated he was willing to answer some questions but would not answer others without an attorney present.
Police asked David when was the last time he saw his father. David replied, “I can’t answer that question right now.”
Police asked if David could help locate his father. David said that was not something he could answer until he talked to an attorney but he would be willing to help once he spoke with one.
In the interview, David was wearing clothing similar to the person seen in the security video walking away from Brandon’s truck.
After searching David’s car, police found pajamas that also matched clothing seen in security videos the day Brandon went missing, as well as a handgun, and $1,000 in cash.
After searching David’s cellphone and examining a GPS app installed on the phone, police placed David under arrest for murder and took him to the Marion County Juvenile Detention Center.
GPS data on David’s phone matched up with security video from a Walmart that showed David purchasing a red dolly and paying cash. Later trips to Walmart showed David purchasing a gun safe, a Dustbuster, a small fan, seat covers, a candle and a belt.
GPS data later showed David in front of the home where the resident saw Brandon’s trailer and heard noises and where the trailer was eventually abandoned.
David was later shown by GPS being in Morgan County off Interstate 69, where the White River crosses under it near New Harmony Road. GPS showed his phone there from 1:48 a.m. to 2:22 a.m. on May 27.
The GPS later shows the phone to be in the area of Mikie’s Pub where the truck was abandoned.
While searching the area near the White River where the GPS showed the phone had been, detectives found tire tracks and what appeared to be tracks from a wheeled trash can.
In interviews with police, family members noted there was friction between the father and son due to Brandon’s alleged drinking.
The documents also note that David alleges he caught his dad pulling down the pants of a 9-year-old girl.
A family member told police that on the night Brandon was killed he said he was going to limit the teens driving privileges over lying to his father.
Court documents say there are text messages around 12:35 pm on May 26 from David’s phone. They say, “Hey it popped off” and “I’ll talk to you about it in person can’t say over text.”
Police say that based on video surveillance, physical evidence and multiple interviews, they believe David killed his father.
Brandon Perry’s body has not been found.
Police say, after consulting with the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office, they arrested David on Sunday for his alleged role in the murder of his father. Police say they are working with several agencies to recover Brandon Perry’s body.
“Our detectives continuously are working with the prosecutor’s office and we did make an arrest in this particular case,” said Officer William Young, an IMPD Public Information Officer. “Very, somewhat of a disturbing case that our detectives are doing everything that they can whenever we have a case of this sort.”
David was formally charged Wednesday with murder and dangerous possession of a firearm.
His initial hearing was on Thursday, June 6. Online court records show a jury trial is set for August.
Anyone with information on this investigation is asked to contact Detective David Miller at david.miller2@indy.gov or call 317-327-3475.
Crime resources
- Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana: 317-262-8477
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