Man found guilty in ‘execution-style shooting’ at east Indy motel INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — It took a jury two days to return a guilty verdict in the case of an Indianapolis man charged with murder for an “execution-style” shooting at an east side hotel. On Tuesday, a Marion County jury convicted Anthony Morst for the murder of 23-year-old Kenneth Barnett, prosecutors said Wednesday. On June 27, 2023, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers responded to a hotel in the 6800 block of East 21st Street, where they found Barnett dead in a bed with a gunshot wound to the forehead. Police were called after a hotel employee entered the room at the request of a family member who had not heard from Barnett for several days. Investigators found two shell casings on the floor and later located the bullet in the boxspring. A damaged pillow and pillowcase found near Barnett’s body indicated that the pillow had been used to muffle the gunshot, prosecutors say. A short time later, a man who had loaned Barnett a gray SUV approached investigators. He said police had contacted him the previous day after the SUV was found vandalized near 62nd Street and Georgetown Road. Barnett’s cell phone was found in the vehicle. Hotel security video showed Barnett arriving at the hotel on June 25 with another man, later identified as Morst. About 30 minutes later, police say, Morst was seen leaving the room alone and driving away in the borrowed SUV. No one else was seen entering or exiting the room before Barnett’s body was discovered two days later. Digital evidence showed Barnett’s last known communication was with Morst. After Morst was arrested on an unrelated matter in 2024, police swabbed his mouth for DNA and seized his cell phone. Prosecutors say records from Morst’s phone linked him to a person who lived near where the SUV was discovered. That person told police that Morst arrived in Barnett’s vehicle the night of the shooting. Cell phone records also showed Morst’s phone connected to the hotel’s Wi-Fi network, placing him at the hotel, alone, with Barnett at the time of the murder. “By meticulously reviewing thousands of phone records, surveillance videos, and forensic details, our prosecutors and law enforcement partners were able to reconstruct what happened and present that to the jury,” Prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a release. “That dedication and commitment helped secure justice for Mr. Barnett and his family.” A sentencing hearing is set for April 17. ...read more read less