FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WFFT) - The Fort Wayne Police Department have arrested a man for a seven-year-old cold-case murder.
The FWPD said on August 13th, 2017, a shooting near the 1800 block of East California Road resulted in one man's death.
Police said the man was found dead from eleven gunshot wounds and identified as Jason L. Underwood in an autopsy done by the Northeast Indiana Forensic Center's Dr. Darin Wolf.
In November 2017, ATF Agents began investigating the First Witness connected to the crime. Police said the investigation came into connection with the handgun used in the shooting. The handgun was a .40-caliber Springfield pistol, model XD.
On June 6th, 2018, Police said the Indiana State Police Laboratory compared the eleven .40-caliber shell casings from the shooting in 2017 to the pistol taken by the ATF on November 13th, 2017, confirming a match.
On February 12th, 2019, the FBI interviewed the First Witness. Witness One told the officers they got the gun from Witness Two in November of 2017. Witness One is the cousin of the suspected shooter. Police said Witness Two is a confirmed gang member.
On September 21st, 2021, the FBI and FWPD said they took a proffer statement from a Third Witness.
Police said Witness Three was traveling with a Fourth Witness and Fargo Bennett, the accused murderer when they saw Underwood at a traffic light. Witness Three said Underwood asked them to meet him at the hookah lounge.
Police said Witness Three told them Bennett was claiming he wanted to kill Underwood for the death of another gang member, Emmanuel Freeman, aka: "E Streets."
Witness Three told Officials once at the hookah lounge, he walked to the front door with Underwood behind him and told him to leave so Bennett did not kill Underwood. Witness Three said the two of them then walked back to Witness Three's vehicle and got back into the car.
Police said Witness Three told them Underwood was sitting in the backseat with Bennett, trying to buy cocaine from Witness Four. During this time, Bennett had handheld possession of Witness Three's Springfield pistol.
Witness Three continued to tell Officials all four individuals drove away from the hookah lounge to a boat ramp near the Crooked Creek boat launch.
Once at the boat launch, Witness Three said he told Officials all four individuals got out of the vehicle, where Bennett and Underwood were standing face to face. Witness Three said Bennett kept asking Underwood if he killed Emmanual Freeman, and Underwood kept responding to Bennett by asking if he was going to kill him.
Police said Fargo Bennett then took out the Springfield pistol, continuing the argument with Underwood. Witness Three then took the gun from Bennett and shot Underwood once from four feet away.
Witness Three told Officials both Underwood and Bennett dropped to the ground after the first shot. Bennett and Witnesses Three and Four then ran and got into the vehicle. Once in the car, Witness Three said they put the gun in the cup holder, and Bennett took the gun from the car and walked up to Underwood on the ground, shooting him several times.
Witness Three continued to tell Officials Bennett got back into the car and drove to a house on Reidmiller, where Bennett returned the pistol to Witness Three and said, "You owe me, I killed his ass."
Witness Three said to Officials they never asked anyone to kill Jason Underwood and that they were afraid they would all be in trouble for the murder of Underwood.
Police said Witness Three told them they gave the gun back to Bennett a couple of months later to sell. Witness Three also said they gave Bennett $3,000 for killing Jason Underwood and went with Bennett to the hookah lounge to intimidate employees into not talking to the Police.
Police said on August 19th, 2023, a call for a disturbance involving weapons came into FWPD. Officers identified everyone involved, two of those individuals being Fargo Bennett and Fifth Witness.
On January 1st, 2024, Police said they got information about a jail call made by Witness Three on August 18th, 2023, at 9:51 p.m.
In the call, Police said Witness Three asked a male on the other end of the line to put "FB" on, referring to Fargo Bennett. Witness Three and Bennett spoke on the phone, revealing information for the Police to continue their investigation into Witness Five.
On February 23rd, FWPD interviewed Witness Five with the FBI. Police asked the witness if they knew anything about Jason Underwood's death in 2017.
Witness Five told Officials the shooting of Underwood was a result of him breaking into a house and stealing "pounds of weed" belonging to a Sixth Witness, who was dating Witness Three.
Officials said they asked Witness Five if the shooting of Underwood was related to the Emmanuel Freeman murder. Witness Five told Officials, "A little."
Officials said that Bennett had told Witness Five, "he got what he deserved, bro put money on his head." Referring to Witness Three and Witness Six accused by Bennett of offering money to kill Jason Underwood for stealing.
Fargo Bennett has no bond available.
