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Last updated on Friday, November 30, 2012
(NASHVILLE) - 38-year-old Benjamin "Jake" Munn, accused of shooting Brown County resident Jamie Shawn Simpson and then dumping his body in an Indianapolis alley told Simpson's mom "I didn't intentionally kill nobody".
Kimberly Simpson, mother of 31-year-old Jamie, wept.
A probable cause affidavit filed Thursday by the Brown County Prosecutor's Office detailed what investigators believe happened over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
Simpson's father, Lyndon, contacted Brown County authorities on Monday, Nov. 26, because he had not seen or heard from his son since Saturday night.
A person had called the father to say that Simpson had been at a property on Peoga Road when a confrontation occurred, and that someone fired shots at Simpson.
Brown County Deputy Scott Bowling reported that Munn's girlfriend, 33-year-old Tabitha Moore, also contacted Simpson's sister-in-law Monday to tell her that Munn had shot at Simpson.
Bowling found Munn at a home in the 4700 block of Peoga Road at about 11 a.m. Monday.
Munn told police he and Simpson gotten into an argument over money on Saturday, but Simpson left, and Munn had not seen him since.
However, according to police Simpson's green Chevrolet truck was in Munn's driveway.
At about noon Tuesday, Nov. 27, Brown County police learned Simpson's body had been found the previous morning in Indianapolis.
That concluded a two-day, three-county search for Simpson and launched a homicide investigation.
Kendale Adams, public information officer for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, says a resident taking out his trash to an alley near downtown Indianapolis noticed a pair of boots behind the trash cans and found Simpson's body.
Marion County Chief Deputy Coroner Alfarena Ballew, says Simpson was not carrying any identification, he was identified by his fingerprints.
An autopsy revealed that he died of a single gunshot wound to the neck.
Investigators believe Simpson's body was dumped sometime Sunday night or early Monday morning.
A male witness told police that on Saturday, Nov. 24, he drove Simpson out to Munn's house, where Simpson's truck had run out of fuel. Along the way, Simpson complained about Munn owing him money. When they arrived, Munn was not home, but he returned a short time later and drove to the back of the 44-acre property.
Police say Simpson began removing the rims from Munn's car as payment for money owed. The witness then left.
In a police interview, Moore stated that Munn told her he had shot Simpson.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Moore expressed concern about coyotes eating his body, Munn assured her that would not happen, because the body had been taken care of.
Bartholomew County and Brown County officers stopped Munn's truck near the Brown-Bartholomew county line, on Mt. Healthy Road/Bartholomew County Road 700 South, Tuesday night. Police arrested Munn on the murder charge and Moore, the passenger, on an outstanding warrant out of Lawrence County for petition to revoke probation.
Moore has not been charged in the murder case.
Initially, Munn blamed the shooting on a man who forced him at gunpoint to load Simpson's body into his truck before driving to Indianapolis to dispose of the body, the affidavit states.
The next day, Munn requested another interview, where he detailed another version of events surrounding Simpson's death.
Munn told police that he when he drove to the back of the Peoga Road property, he got his truck stuck. He walked back toward where Simpson was removing the tires. Munn told Simpson he needed to leave, but Simpson walked toward him.
Munn told police they were yelling at each other when he ran at Simpson and fired two shots at him.
Munn stated that Simpson went to the ground.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Munn then put his truck in four-wheel drive and went to a friend's house in Columbus. Along the way, he threw out the 9mm handgun he used.
Munn told police he returned to the property late Sunday or early Mondayand found Simpson's body, but would not answer police about moving the body.
"I'll just say this, when my truck came back, the body wasn't in it," Munn told police.
Brown Circuit Court Judge Judith Stewart ordered Munn to be held in the Brown County Jail without bond. She set his trial date for March 13.
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