19-Year-Old Benjamin Mulkey Charged with Murder of 17-Year-Old Caiden Clements

Accident – Death – Obituary News : SPEEDWAY, Ind. (WISH) — A man has been formally charged by prosecutors for the fatal shooting of a teenage boy in Speedway on November 12. The victim has been identified as 17-year-old Caiden Clements by the Marion County Coroner’s Office.

The accused, 19-year-old Benjamin Mulkey, is now facing felony charges of murder and two counts of pointing a firearm at another individual. According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by News 8, Speedway police officers were initially called to a residence in the 2200 block of North Auburn Street to investigate a report of a male claiming someone had been shot at a nearby house.

Upon arrival, investigators encountered a juvenile male who stated that he was at a neighboring house when someone shot his “brother.” Although he couldn’t lead officers to the exact location, he provided a description of the vehicles at the house. Acting on this information, police swiftly located the residence in the 5000 block of West 22nd Street, just a minute away from where they spoke with the juvenile.

Upon knocking on the door, officers were greeted by Mulkey’s grandparents, who informed them that someone had been shot and required immediate assistance. Rushing inside, the officers discovered Clements lying unconscious near the top of the basement stairs. Sadly, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Detectives proceeded to interview several witnesses who were present at the house during the time of the shooting. One juvenile witness recounted that he and Clements had been out with another individual before heading to the residence on West 22nd Street. They were met by Mulkey, who escorted them down to the basement. The witness claimed to have never met Mulkey prior to that evening.

According to the witness, there were multiple individuals in the basement, including Mulkey, the person who drove Clements and the witness to the house, Mulkey’s girlfriend, and others. While they were hanging out, Mulkey revealed a rifle he had concealed beneath a bed and proceeded to show it to the group. As the firearm was being passed around, another juvenile inadvertently jammed the gun. The witness warned the other individual that the rifle had a round in the chamber, but their attempts to eject it proved unsuccessful.

The witness requested an unjamming rod from Mulkey, who dismissively claimed that they didn’t know what they were doing and insisted on having his weapon back. Despite the witness’s remarks, Mulkey denied the presence of a round in the chamber. When the witness displayed the round to Mulkey, he proceeded to point the rifle at them, interrogating them about who loaded the gun. In a light-hearted manner, the other male jokingly implicated Clements, who stood up from the futon he was sitting on. Tragically, Mulkey then fired a shot into Clements’ chest.

In response to the gunshot, Clements clutched his chest and sprinted up the basement stairs before collapsing at the top. Shockingly, when the witness mentioned calling for help, Mulkey allegedly forbade them from contacting the police. Detectives also interviewed a second juvenile witness, who initially claimed to have been asleep upstairs during the incident and attempted to protect Mulkey by falsely confessing to the shooting.

However, after the witness’s mother urged them to hold Mulkey accountable for his actions, the second witness altered their statement. They revealed that while in the basement, they had requested to see the rifle, prompting Mulkey to remove the magazine before handing it over. The witness then reattached the magazine and informed Mulkey that there was a live round in the gun when returning it. They also disclosed that they had mentioned to Mulkey that the ejector on the rifle might be broken.

According to the second witness, Mulkey began examining the sights on the rifle, and the gun unexpectedly discharged as Clements rose from the futon. Other witness statements varied in terms of the individuals’ locations, the events leading up to the shooting, and correctly identifying Mulkey from a lineup of photographs.

Following the interviews, detectives confronted Mulkey, who immediately requested an attorney as soon as an investigator introduced themselves. Consequently, Mulkey was taken into custody and is currently being held without bond at the Marion County jail. Online jail records indicate that he also faces charges for two counts of battery resulting in bodily injury and domestic battery in an unrelated incident.

A jury trial has been scheduled for January 22 to further investigate the case and determine Mulkey’s legal fate..