Two Indiana men have been charged with attempted murder after they were seen on camera savagely beating another man, who investigators say is not expected to survive.
Evansville Police say a homeowner called 911 and reported that a man showed up on his front porch at about 10:30 p.m. Saturday covered in blood, then lost consciousness and stopped breathing, WFIE reported.
The victim, who has not been identified, was rushed to an emergency room with severe head trauma. As of Sunday afternoon, he was unconscious, unresponsive, and unable to breathe on his own.
Investigators uncovered surveillance footage showing two men trying to kill him. About 15 minutes before the victim showed up on the homeowner’s porch, police say, surveillance footage from a nearby gas station shows another man, identified as 35-year-old Charles Ethan Miles run up to the victim and try to hit him with something.
The victim dodged the strike and ran from the scene with Miles chasing him. Miles quickly gave up, however, and returned to the gas station, where he got into a Jeep owned by 32-year-old Cade Christopher Kirk. As the attack started, a woman — identified as 27-year-old Samantha Brooke Chase — came out of the convenience store and got into the Jeep.
Security camera footage shows the victim walking toward his home. Kirk’s Jeep speeds past and turns onto E. Tennessee Street, where the victim’s home is located. The vehicle stops four houses past the victim’s and waits there.
When the victim comes into view, Kirk and Miles rush at him. Kirk lifts his shirt and takes something from his waistband and put it in his hand before striking the victim, WEVV reported. For about 30 seconds, both Kirk and Miles pummel the victim before stopping and returning to the Jeep. The victim stumbles to the neighbor’s porch and collapses.
Detectives said the used license plate readers and other evidence to identify the three suspects and track the Jeep to Chase’s address, where it was parked outside, according to WFIE. All three were taken into custody.
Under questioning, Chase told detectives that she was dating Kirk and that the victim had been in a relationship with Miles’s wife before they married. Kirk told the investigators he didn’t know the victim or why Miles had tried to fight him. Police say he changed his story several times, eventually admitted he hit the victim in the head multiple times.
He said he did not use a set of brass knuckle he had on him when he was arrested.
Miles told investigators the victim sent nude photographs to his wife, which made him extremely angry. He said he remembered going toward the victim at the gas station but that he blacked out after that and doesn’t remember anything else.
Miles and Kirk were both charged with attempted murder, and police said that charge will be upgraded to murder if the victim dies.
Chase was charged with an unrelated failure to appear charge and bonded out.