INDIANAPOLIS, IN – A man from Indiana has been found guilty of fatally shooting his girlfriend outside a local daycare while also facing impending charges for the death of a sheriff’s deputy. Orlando Mitchell was convicted of murder and invasion of privacy for the killing of 32-year-old Krystal Walton, an act prosecutors described as premeditated and brutal.
Mitchell also stands accused of murdering Marion County Sheriff’s Deputy John Durm while in pretrial custody. Prosecutors are pursuing the death penalty in the Durm case, which is scheduled for trial in March. Sentencing for Walton’s murder is set for April 1.
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears expressed gratitude for the jury’s decision, stating that Walton’s family will continue to carry her memory forward. Walton, a loving mother, was killed on September 16, 2022, in what the prosecutor described as a calculated attack executed by Mitchell.
According to court documents, Mitchell ambushed Walton outside the daycare, shooting her seven times and hitting her with three bullets. He then fled the scene in a damaged red Dodge Avenger.
Eyewitness accounts from the daycare described the suspect as wearing a black outfit with distinctive yellow pockets while wielding a firearm. These descriptions helped law enforcement quickly locate and arrest Mitchell after a tip led them to a nearby bus stop.
Mitchell was apprehended wearing attire that matched the descriptions provided by witnesses. Officers encountered him near his damaged vehicle, armed with a rifle. Authorities shot him in the leg when he resisted arrest.
Nearly nine months later, Mitchell allegedly continued his spree of violence by killing Deputy Durm on July 10, 2023. Upon returning from a medical visit, Mitchell reportedly used his handcuffs to strangle Durm in a sally port before attempting to escape in Durm’s sheriff’s van.
The attempted escape ended in a crash, followed by his rearrest around half an hour later. Durm succumbed to his injuries at a hospital, while Mitchell received medical treatment before being charged with Durm’s murder.
Footage from the detention center’s surveillance system captured the assault on Durm. The video reportedly shows Mitchell attacking Durm upon exiting the sheriff’s van, using the handcuff chain to overpower and fatally injure him. The incident occurred in a secure area of the prison known as the sally port, where Durm, unaware of the imminent threat, was attempting to escort Mitchell from the transport vehicle.
The cases against Mitchell underscore a high-stakes legal battle, one juxtaposed by the grief of families affected by the two separate tragedies now intertwined by the actions of a single individual.