An Indiana man convicted of fatally shooting the mother of his infant son outside of a daycare facility has learned his fate.
Orlando Mitchell, 35, was sentenced to 66 years in the Indiana Department of Correction for the 2022 murder of his ex-girlfriend, Krystal Walton, 32, online court records show.
In February, a jury found Mitchell guilty of killing Walton on Sept. 16, 2022, outside Charity Child Care in Indianapolis after deliberating for 90 minutes, CBS4 Indy reports. He was also found guilty of invasion of privacy.
Authorities say Mitchell hid outside the facility waiting for Walton to show up, running up behind her and opening fire 7 times around 7:30 a.m. as she headed back to her car after dropping off her son. He then fled the scene.
In a probable cause affidavit, authorities alleged that body camera footage of Mitchell’s arrest shows him saying, “I shot that b—h!,” as well as “I shot that b—h in the face!”
Mitchell shot Walton in front of multiple witnesses including children, police said.
Walton had obtained a protective order against Mitchell when he killed her, court records show, WRTV reports. She told police she was afraid Mitchell would kill her, according to the court records.
About a month before Mitchell killed Walton, he threatened to kill her and himself in a murder-suicide, his mother told police, according to the affidavit.
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His mother alleged that Mitchell was upset about not being able to see his 1-year-old son, the affidavit says.
“If he couldn’t see his son, she wasn’t gonna be in his life either,” the mother told police, according to the affidavit.
Mitchell was arrested after being shot by police during a standoff, wherein he refused to drop the rifle he was pointing at officers, court records show, according to WRTV.
Walton’s family is relieved that Mitchell was convicted, CBS4 Indy reports.
Her father, Christopher Walton, told CBS4 Indy that he is still upset at the tragic way she was killed. “She didn’t stand a chance and this creepy predator violently and viciously attacked her,” Walton said, CBS4 Indy reports.
Mitchell’s legal troubles are not over. He is also facing murder charges in the 2023 death of Marion County Sheriff’s Deputy John Durm when he tried to escape from the Marion County jail, CBS 4 Indy reports.
That case is being tried separately. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Durm’s death.
Mitchell’s attorney could not be reached for comment.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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