Lajuan Fitzpatrick, Conspiracy & Murder, Indiana 2019

A brutal crime spree has come to an end for a Lake Station man, who was sentenced to 36 years in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana and discharging a firearm causing death.

Lajuan Fitzpatrick, 29, of Lake Station, Indiana, was handed the lengthy prison sentence by U.S. District Court Judge Philip P. Simon following his conviction at trial in November 2019, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Gary T. Bell.

The evidence at trial showed that on December 2, 2013, in Gary, Indiana, Fitzpatrick and his co-conspirators attempted to rob individuals they believed were marijuana dealers. The co-conspirators intended to resell the marijuana. Fitzpatrick fired his gun as gunfire broke out during the course of the attempted robbery.

Ronaldo Correa, Jr., 22, who was coming to the aid of his victim neighbors, was shot to death.

'This investigation is an excellent example of the importance of partnership among law enforcement in holding dangerous criminals accountable,' remarked ATF Special Agent in Charge Kristen de Tineo of the Chicago Field Division.

'Dealing drugs and violence go hand-in-hand and this sentence means this individual will no longer be able to bring more harm to our Hoosier communities,' said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Paul Keenan.

The prosecution was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

This case is the result of the investigative efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, East Chicago Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Gary Police Department, Hammond Police Department, Lake County, Indiana, Sheriff's Department and Lake County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area officers and agents. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David J. Nozick and Caitlin M. Padula.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndin/pr/lake-station-man-sentenced-36-years-prison