16-year-old Christian Qualls was arrested after his mother's
information to the police that he could be involved in a murder ended up
being accurate. The Indianapolis teenager was charged Friday, Nov. 6, with the murder of 15-year-old
Daniel Neal Burns, who was found fatally shot on Oct. 17.
According to court documents obtained by the Indianapolis Star, after a maintenance man reported finding Burns’ body inside an
apartment, Qualls’ mother, Carrie, asked cops if her son was a suspect.
"Is my son involved? I'm just gonna put it out there and tell it. He's
been out here robbing people. He's been breaking into apartments and
cars and stealing things," Carrie told police.
"He's been hiding in abandoned apartments up here and I've been looking for him."
She also told police that her brother’s gun was stolen and that her son had access to it, the report said.
The bullet casings in the living room wall of the apartment where Burns
was found matched those from the missing .45-caliber Ruger, which was
later discovered in the bushes near the apartment, cops said.
One teenager told police that he had seen Christian with the gun the
day before the homicide. Another said that the two boys had stolen items out of a car and then argued over the property.
In a police interview, Christian allegedly said that Burns had been
shot by a drug dealer when he couldn’t afford the marijuana he was
trying to buy.
The suspect was selected out of a police lineup and charged with murder.
Vickie Morris, Burns’ mother, said she’s still in pain despite the arrest.
"I just want justice to be served. It's not going to bring my child
back,"Morris said. "It doesn't make the pain go away. There's no
closure.”
Other than the murder charge, Christian also faces a misdemeanor charge
of carrying a handgun without a license. His jury trial has been set
for Jan. 11.
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