He thought he was meeting a woman from a dating app. Instead, he became a murder victim.
June 23 2021, Published 11:23 a.m. ET
A 55-year-old Indiana man planned on meeting a woman from a dating app, but instead was beaten to death, police say. Now, two people have been charged in connection to his murder.
On June 16, Willie Lee Smith planned to meet a woman he met on an app in Flora, Indiana, police said and reported by local media.
Shianne Brooks-Brown, 24, owned the account on the app, but she told police Tyrone Leftridge, 22, used it to arrange a meeting with Smith.
According to authorities, Leftridge first told Brooks-Brown she needed to have sex with Smith when he got there for $80.
However, she told police once Smith showed up, she was talking to him and Leftridge came up from behind and hit Smith twice in the head with a baseball bat.
At that point, Brooks-Brown said she ran into a nearby house and a little while later, Leftridge came in with money, wallet and cell phone.
According to police, officers were called to a home later where Smith was found severely beaten.
He was flown to IU Health Methodist Hospital, where he died on June 18, authorities said.
Smith’s daughter told 13News he was very fragile and in stage-5 renal kidney failure.
He was waiting on a donor, but she said she took some solace in his death since he gave life to others through organ donation.
Leftridge had his initial hearing on June 21 and is scheduled to stand trial in September. He is being held on a $500,000 bond, officials said.
Brooks-Brown is still waiting for her initial hearing, police said.
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