Man convicted of murder after posing as someone else to lure victim outside

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — An Indianapolis man has been convicted for an October 2020 fatal shooting on the city’s east side, according to the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office (MCPO).

The MCPO announced Thursday that Nichale Johnson has been convicted of murder for the October 2020 fatal shooting of Rashaad Germany. Over the course of three days, Marion County jurors saw evidence and heard testimony prior to rendering the guilty as charged verdict.

In the early morning hours of Oct. 30, 2020, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers discovered Germany’s body in the front yard of a residence in the 3300 block of Ashland Avenue on the east side of Indianapolis. Germany had suffered multiple gunshot wounds. It was later learned Germany had been living with his grandmother, just a couple hundred feet away from where his body was located.

Investigators became aware that Germany had been in communication with someone he went to high school with via social media prior to the shooting. According to the messages, the Germany had agreed to meet this person outside of his home. The last messages were exchanged just minutes before the murder occurred.

Upon further investigation, investigators learned that Johnson had reached out to this person in order to gain access to their social media. He then used their account to deceive Germany, who believed he was communicating with someone else, gain access to his address, and set him up.

The messages made it clear that Germany believed he was meeting up with his classmate, not Johnson, that night.

Johnson’s social media records indicated that he had reached out to multiple people to use their profiles to lure Germany. He also used social media to get a firearm prior to the murder.

“Digital footprints provided key evidence in this case,” said Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears. “Not only did it lead us to the defendant, but it also revealed the cruel and calculated efforts of the defendant to lure the victim to his tragic and senseless death.”

In an interview with detectives, Johnson admitted to wanting to find out where Germany lived because he wanted to fight him and used the account to “surprise” him.

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