Indianapolis Woman Sentenced to 13 Months for Illegal Purchase of Handgun Used in Murder of Sheriff's Deputy
Handgun was used in the murder of Deputy Jacob Pickett
INDIANAPOLIS -- United States Attorney Josh J. Minkler, announced today an Indianapolis woman was sentenced for her illegal purchase of the handgun used to murder Boone County Sheriff’s Deputy Jacob Pickett in March 2018. Dawn Love Rochon, 30, was sentenced to 13 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge James R. Sweeney at the federal courthouse in Indianapolis.
“When firearms are illegally purchased, possessed, or sold, it’s never for a good reason and the results are often tragic,” said Minkler. “Judge Sweeney sent a loud and clear message that gun violence will not be tolerated in the Southern District of Indiana and those who illegally acquire firearms will be held accountable.”
On February 28, 2017, Rochon purchased a Taurus PT709 9mm handgun from Indy Gun Bunker, a gun store in Indianapolis, Indiana. On the federal form that Rochon completed for the purchase, Rochon gave a false statement under penalty of perjury regarding her residential address. Such a false statement violates federal law, and therefore Rochon’s acquisition of the Taurus handgun was illegal.
On March 2, 2018, Anthony Baumgardt shot and killed Boone County Sheriff’s Deputy Jacob Pickett using the Taurus handgun that Rochon illegally purchased. Baumgardt has since pled guilty to Pickett’s murder and was sentenced to life in prison.
At the sentencing hearing, Assistant United States Attorney William L. McCoskey told the Court that Rochon’s illegal purchase of the handgun was “the first link in a terrible and tragic chain of events leading to the murder of Jake Pickett.”
This case was the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Indiana State Police, and the Boone County Sheriff’s Department.
“I am extremely proud of the collaborative investigative efforts which resulted in the arrest, conviction and sentencing of those whose actions played a role in the murder of Deputy Jacob Pickett,” said Indiana State Police Superintendent Douglas G. Carter.
According to Assistant United States Attorney William L. McCoskey, who prosecuted this case for the government, Rochon must serve three years of supervised release after her sentence of imprisonment.
In October 2017, United States Attorney Josh J. Minkler announced a Strategic Plan designed to shape and strengthen the district’s response to its most significant public safety challenges. This prosecution demonstrates the office’s firm commitment to partner with federal and local law enforcement agencies to prosecute individuals committing violent crimes involving firearms. See United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Indiana Strategic Plan Section 2.3.
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