FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) – An Allen County judge has denied a motion to dismiss charges against 25-year-old Lexus Evans. The woman is accused of playing a role in the shooting death of her ex-boyfriend 40-year-old Dennis Starr, alongside her father, 50-year-old Samuel Evans III, brother 23-year-old Samuel Evans IV, and 30-year-old Jesse Shears, all of whom were also charged with murder.
While Samuel Evans III accepted a plea deal last month, pleading guilty to battery resulting in serious bodily injury in exchange for dropping the murder charge, Lexus Evans sought to have her charges dismissed last week. In her motion, she alleged prosecutorial misconduct, selective prosecution, and insufficient evidence.
Lexus Evans claimed that the prosecution’s statements were inaccurate and aimed at misleading the judge and media. According to our partners in news at 21 Alive, she argued that this misinformation could create a media bias and potentially prejudice the jury pool, affecting the judge’s decision-making process.
Pointing to her father’s battery charge, which resulted in a dropped murder charge, Lexus Evans argued selective prosecution. She also contended that the evidence against her was weak, relying on hearsay from a “jailhouse snitch” allegedly desperate to have his own charges dropped, and presumptions without physical evidence.
However, Allen Superior Court Judge David Zent rejected the motion, citing that it was filed pro se by Lexus Evans, representing herself, instead of through her court-appointed attorney.