A 15-year-old boy from Indiana was sentenced to 100 years in prison for his role in a gang-related shooting that killed an innocent woman outside a nightclub last year. Jo’Majze Larry of Anderson was handed the sentence by Madison County Circuit Court Judge David Happe on July 29, making the teenager one of the youngest individuals to receive such a lengthy prison term.
The fatal shooting occurred on February 2, 2025, outside Sonny Ray’s nightclub in Anderson, approximately an hour outside Indianapolis. The victim, 26-year-old Dayla Swain, was struck by gunfire while standing near a parked truck. She was transported to Community Hospital in Anderson and later transferred to an Indianapolis hospital, where she died. The shooting also injured a second woman and struck a third woman with a vehicle as the suspects fled the scene.
Larry was convicted in June of multiple felonies related to the incident, including murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, criminal organization activity, and dangerous possession of a firearm. The conviction came after a six-day trial before a jury that found the teenager guilty on all charges. Following the guilty verdict, Larry admitted to an enhancement charge related to his participation in organized gang activity.
The 100-year sentence was structured as two 50-year terms: one for the murder conviction and another for a criminal organization enhancement. This enhancement is a legal provision that substantially increases sentencing when prosecutors can demonstrate that a crime was committed to further the goals of a criminal organization. In this case, the enhancement doubled the prison time that Larry would otherwise have received for the murder alone.
The shooting was part of what prosecutors describe as a botched gang hit orchestrated by members of the Mickey Cobra Nation, a criminal organization with ties to Chicago. According to court documents, gang members were targeting a witness who was expected to testify in a separate murder case. The intended victim was the driver of a dark blue Ford F-150 pickup truck who was speaking with Swain at the time of the attack. When the gunfire erupted, it struck Swain instead of the intended target. Swain was not involved in the underlying dispute and had no connection to the criminal case the gang was trying to protect.
The botched hit was allegedly connected to the 2023 murder of 15-year-old Jullian Craig, who was killed during an attempted armed robbery. Donavan Harris, 20, was convicted in June of Craig’s murder. Prosecutors alleged that gang members, including Larry and his 19-year-old co-defendant Rashawn Samuels, decided to silence a key witness to that crime by killing him. Instead, their plan resulted in the death of an uninvolved bystander.
Eight members of the Mickey Cobra Nation have been charged in connection with Swain’s death. In addition to Larry and Samuels, 19-year-old Kyree Craver was sentenced to 90 years in prison on July 9. Samuels received a 125-year sentence on July 30. Additional suspects including Rejon Smith, Ja’Brawll Thomas, Geno Moffett, Javeayon Johnson, and Javeaian Johnson are either awaiting trial or sentencing. Court records indicate that Geno Moffett remains at large, with investigators believing he may be located in Centralia, Illinois.
While Larry’s 100-year sentence effectively amounts to a life prison term, his age introduces a unique legal complication. Because he was 15 at the time of the offense, Indiana law allows him to petition for judicial review of his sentence after serving at least 20 years in prison. This provision, however, does not automatically reduce or guarantee release from incarceration. Madison County prosecutors clarified that the statute merely permits the defendant to request that the sentencing court consider modifying the sentence. At any such hearing, the prosecutor’s office has the right to oppose the request, and victims and their families have the right to be notified and heard.
The case has drawn significant attention due to the involvement of such a young offender and the gang’s alleged connections to Chicago-based organized crime. Investigators reviewed surveillance footage from multiple cameras near Sonny Ray’s, recovered evidence from raids on suspect residences, and examined social media posts and group chat messages documenting planning for the attack. Court records reveal that gang members discussed police response times in the area, security cameras, and strategies to avoid detection following the shooting.
Larry fled to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, immediately after the shooting along with Samuels. His parents filed a missing persons report because he was only 14 years old at the time. He was eventually apprehended and returned to Indiana to face charges. Prosecutors argued that Indiana’s criminal organization enhancement law was necessary to address crimes committed by individuals acting as part of organized criminal enterprises.