An Indiana teenager who was just 15 years old when he fatally shot an 18-year-old girl during a violent robbery will spend the next 45 years behind bars, a court has ruled.
Emanuel Carter, now 17, was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty to murder in the death of Makayla Bauman, who was shot in Beech Grove — a suburb of Indianapolis — on September 29, 2024.
Before he was sentenced, Carter stood before the court and apologized for his actions. The apology came too late for Bauman’s family.
According to court records, Bauman and her younger brother drove to a local apartment complex that night to sell marijuana to Carter. When they arrived, Carter and another individual rushed toward the car with guns drawn. One of them reportedly demanded valuables and asked, “Do you want to die?”
Bauman’s brother threw the car into reverse to escape. That is when Carter allegedly opened fire. Bauman, seated in the vehicle, was struck in the chest.
“I think I just got shot,” she told her brother.
Her brother drove frantically toward the hospital, but noticed Bauman losing consciousness. He pulled over and was found by police kneeling beside her, pressing on her wound. Paramedics rushed her to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Investigators later learned that Carter and the victim’s brother were classmates at Beech Grove High School. Police identified Carter’s brother as the second gunman, though it remains unclear whether he faces charges. Carter told detectives he was being robbed — claiming someone in the car pulled a weapon — but investigators found no evidence to support that claim.
A witness told police that Carter had said beforehand he planned to rob the brother of his marijuana. Carter was arrested the following day. Prosecutors charged him as an adult.
Makayla Bauman was described by those who loved her as someone who “lit up every room” with her smile — compassionate, outgoing, and full of life. She was 18 years old.
