Teen reportedly shoots pizza deliveryman multiple times at point-blank range during botched robbery
A 37-year-old Domino's deliveryman is dead after a 17-year-old Indiana girl reportedly shot him during a robbery attempt.
The deliveryman, Joshua Ungersma, was the father of a newborn baby. Delivering pizza was his second job; a means of bringing in more income for his young family.
Now, 17-year-old Jaelynn Billups, is being tried as an adult in Ungersma's murder.
What are the details?
The killing took place on Aug. 31 after Billups and her 19-year-old boyfriend, Alberto Vanmeter, reportedly decided to rob a pizza deliveryman, WTHR-TV reported.
The ill-fated deliveryman turned out to be Ungersma.
Billups and Vanmeter reportedly lured Ungersma to a vacant home in Lafayette, Indiana, under the guise of ordering pizza delivery.
Witness and neighbor Patrick Gibson said he exited his home after he heard gunshots. He said he discovered Ungersma, who said he needed help and asked him to call authorities. As Gibson's roommate called 911, Gibson said he saw Billups reportedly took the opportunity to shoot Ungersma, WTHR-TV reported.
The new father died of multiple gunshot wounds, authorities said.
The Journal & Courier reported that Ungersma, during the attempted robbery, pulled out a gun and shot Vanmeter.
According to reports, Ungersma and Vanmeter were both dead by the time they arrived on the scene, and said that Billups was in the process of discarding a 9 mm handgun when police demanded she show her hands.
Despite not pulling the trigger herself, Billups still faces charges in Vanmeter's death.
In addition to two murder charges, Billups was charged with conspiracy to commit armed robbery, theft, pointing a firearm, carrying a handgun without a license.
"Anyone who is killed in the commission of a felony, such as robbery, can be charged with that person's death, even if it was a partner in crime," the outlet reported, citing charging information.
A portion of the charging information — which apparently refers to Vanmeter as "Vanmetere" — stated, "Jaelynn Niree Billups did aid, induce or cause Joshua Ungersma to kill ... Alberto Edwardo Vanmetere, while Billups and Vanmetere were committing or attempting to commit robbery."
The probable cause affidavit states that Billups shot Ungersma several times at a point-blank range.
Tippecanoe County Criminal Magistrate Daniel Moore set Billups' trial for Feb. 23 in Tippecanoe Superior 2. Billups is being held without bond.
'Joshua was such a great man'
A GoFundMe page for the Ungersma family has received more than $24,000 so far.
A portion of the page states, “Joshua was such a great man, he saw the good and potential in everyone. With his passing being so tragic and unexpected, i wanted to ask for assistance with covering his funeral expenses. Any help and/ or encouraging words and memories are welcomed and appreciated. Josh's mother, Sheila Anderson, will be beneficiary of your generous donations. She will ensure that after funeral expenses are covered, your contributions will be put into a trust fund for Sebastian. Thank you for all your love, your caring, and your help."
WTHR-TV reported 75% of last Friday's profits at the Domino's restaurant in Lafayette, Indiana, would go to the young family.
The station reported that the response was so overwhelming that the restaurant had to close early after running out of food.
"We want to be able to do whatever we can for the family," Domino's store owner Jimmy Ruedlinger told WTHR. "They're going through a lot right now, obviously, with the loss of their father, the husband, a son in the mom's case. We're a family here, and we're a team, and we're going to take care of whatever we can take care of at this point."
The station reported that Ungersma worked as a deliveryman for the pizza franchise as a second job. His primary job was as a meat cutter at a local supermarket, Payless, where he worked for more than a decade.
"He usually worked the late shift," Ruedlinger revealed. "He'd get off work at Payless and come over here. He had a wife, a step-kid, and a 6-month old baby, and he cared so much about those kids. He was always willing to pick up extra shifts, always wanting to work extra hours just so he could take care of his family."
Mary Smith, the meat department manager at Payless supermarket, added, "How could that happen? All he ever wanted to do was take care of his family. That's the only reason he had that second job was so he could provide, and his wife could take care of the baby and his stepson. That's all he cared about."
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