An Indiana man was sentenced to 45 years in prison after pleading guilty in the 1993 killing of 19-year-old Carmen Van Huss, a case that sat unsolved for decades before investigators linked him to the crime through DNA testing, court records show.
The sentence closes one of Indianapolis’ longest-running homicide investigations and caps a fast-moving legal finish after an arrest in 2024. Prosecutors said the agreement delivered a murder conviction without a trial, while the victim’s family marked a painful turning point after years without answers. The investigation’s revival also highlighted how newer techniques, including genetic genealogy, can generate leads in cold cases that once appeared stalled.
Marion County Superior Judge James K. Snyder imposed the 45-year term Friday on Dana Jermaine Shepherd, 53. Shepherd admitted to murder as part of a negotiated plea, and prosecutors agreed to dismiss additional charges that had been filed when he was arrested. Authorities said Van Huss was attacked inside her north-side Indianapolis apartment in the 8200 block of Harcourt Road in March 1993. Neighbors reported hearing her with a man late that night, then hearing yelling and a struggle a short time later, according to accounts of the investigation. When Van Huss did not show up the next day, her father went to check on her and found her dead, police and court documents said. The scene, described in later filings and reports, showed extensive violence, and investigators collected evidence that included DNA.
For years, the case generated interviews and leads but no arrest. Investigators said the early work still mattered decades later because evidence was preserved for modern testing. In 2018, an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department detective submitted DNA evidence to Parabon, a private company that conducts advanced analysis that can include DNA phenotyping and genetic genealogy for lead generation, according to a police department news release. Detectives said that work helped produce new information in 2023, when investigators used follow-up methods and the genealogy lead to identify Shepherd as a suspect. In June 2024, authorities obtained a DNA sample for traditional forensic comparison, and the Marion County Forensic Services Agency reported that Shepherd’s DNA profile matched samples found at the scene and on Van Huss’ body, the police release said.
That match set off a chain of court steps across state lines. Police said Shepherd was living and working in Columbia, Missouri, when investigators closed in. An arrest warrant was obtained in late August 2024 for charges that included murder, felony murder and rape, and he was taken into custody in Missouri and held while Indiana authorities moved to bring him back, according to police statements and earlier reports on the case. Investigators said Shepherd declined to speak with detectives after his arrest and requested legal representation. The case then shifted into the court system, where prosecutors filed charges and prepared for trial. In January, Shepherd reached a plea agreement and admitted to murder in exchange for the dismissal of other counts, clearing the way for Friday’s sentencing.
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said the outcome secured a murder conviction more than three decades after the crime and expressed hope that the resolution would provide some measure of peace for Van Huss’ loved ones. The family’s public statements over the years have described a long wait marked by uncertainty and repeated reminders of the loss. Van Huss was 19 at the time of her death and was described by relatives as creative and caring, with a strong interest in art and animals. Investigators have said they believed she knew her attacker, a point emphasized by the fact that the suspect was later identified as someone who had lived in the same building. Police and prosecutors did not release a detailed account of Shepherd’s relationship with Van Huss beyond describing him as a neighbor at the time.
The case also drew attention because of the way it was solved. Genetic genealogy has emerged as a tool that can connect unknown DNA from a crime scene to potential relatives in public or law-enforcement-accessible databases, generating leads that detectives can test through traditional methods. In Van Huss’ case, police said the genealogy work did not replace standard lab testing but helped point investigators toward a name after years without one. Deputy Chief Kendale Adams of the Indianapolis police department said the arrest demonstrated both persistence by investigators and the growing analytic capability available for older cases. Parabon scientist Dr. Ellen Greytak praised the department’s approach in using advanced technology for lead generation, calling it a proactive effort to bring justice for the victim and her family.
As the sentence was handed down, the courtroom outcome stood in contrast to the long period when the case remained unsolved. Records show the investigation began in the spring of 1993, when sheriff’s deputies responded to the apartment on Harcourt Road and found Van Huss dead. Detectives interviewed dozens of people and followed up on hundreds of leads over the years, police said, before the trail went cold. Funding support for the advanced testing came through Season of Justice, a nonprofit that provides grants for DNA testing and analysis in cold cases, according to the police release. The group’s founder, Ashley Flowers, said the result showed how persistence, evolving forensic science and collaboration can change the course of a long-standing investigation.
Shepherd will serve his sentence in the Indiana Department of Correction under the terms set by the court. Prosecutors said the plea agreement resolved the case without a trial, ending a prosecution that could have stretched on through motions, hearings and witness testimony about decades-old evidence. Authorities have not announced any additional investigative steps tied to the case, and no other suspects were identified in connection with Van Huss’ death in the public statements surrounding the sentencing.
Author note: Last updated Feb. 14, 2026.