William Jenkins convicted for the 2019 murder of Yolanda Moffitt-Santiago
Ryan MartinUpdate: William Jenkins was convicted in the 2019 murder of Yolanda Moffitt-Santiago after a two-day trial, the Marion County Prosecutor's Office announced March 9, 2023. Jenkins was sentenced to 60 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections, the prosecutor's office announced April 17, 2023.
Original article: Investigators are still looking for a murder suspect described as an abusive man who killed his ex-girlfriend last month after learning about her pregnancy in her new relationship.
The victim — 34-year-old Yolanda Kay Moffitt-Santiago — had lived with the man's hitting and harassment before, according to police and court records. Moffitt-Santiago, who had a 10-year-old son, had tried repeatedly to leave behind the abuse,family and witnesses said. Her ex-boyfriend, though, continued stalking and harassing her through messages, phone calls and Facebook.
That man, identified by police as 28-year-old William Jenkins, is even recorded in a jail call as wanting to "kick her a--" after his release, according to court records.
Moffitt-Santiago's death on July 2 is among at least nine homicides that were connected to domestic violence in Indianapolis this year, according to local police data.
The problem's scope in Marion County is even larger. Data collected by the Domestic Violence Network showed that there were an estimated 10,797 unique victims of domestic violence in 2016, the most recent year available.
Many of them were victims in multiple incidents. For Moffitt-Santiago, her homicide came after at least two other times where she was hit by the murder suspect, investigators say in police and court records.
On the morning of the homicide, Jenkins was seen arguing with Moffitt-Santiago just minutes before her death. Some friends wanted to intervene in the argument, according to court records, but they backed away temporarily because Jenkins carried a gun.
Returning about 15 minutes later, they were greeted by police lights and crime scene tape. The friends initially thought Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officers were there to break up the argument.
They soon learned, though, that Moffitt-Santiago had been shot.
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What happened that morning
Ryan Clark, a homicide detective for IMPD, described the morning of Moffitt-Santiago's death in a probable cause affidavit filed in Marion Superior Court.
It was around 4:30 a.m. on July 2 when she went to the Mapleton-Fall Creek home of a friend who had asked her to bring over a bottle of liquor, court records say.
A few minutes later, a gold Chevy Impala pulled up and Jenkins jumped out of the passenger side, walking to Moffitt-Santiago's car. Police do not say in the affidavit who the driver was.
When Jenkins did not see Moffitt-Santiago at her car, Jenkins approached the home and, according to at least four witnesses, began "barging" inside unannounced.
Jenkins found her in the back of the home and started yelling at her, according to witness statements.
One person told them to take the argument out of the home, court records say. Then Jenkins pulled out a gun and pulled Moffitt-Santiago outside.
Witnesses told police that Jenkins wanted Moffitt-Santiago to leave with him. The people at the home urged her to stay, but she eventually walked away with Jenkins a short distance.
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Investigators said several of the witnesses followed in a car to the area of E. 37th Street and Central Avenue. They asked if she was OK, and she replied: "No, he just pulled my hair!"
One witness told police that Jenkins had said: "This is my b----" before demanding the witnesses to mind their business.
Jenkins would not let go of her arm, witnesses said.
Moffitt-Santiago pleaded for her friends to stay, telling them: "He's gonna kill me."
The friends were afraid to confront Jenkins because he was armed. Eventually they believed that Jenkins had cooled down, though, and decided to leave. Based on the court records, it does not appear they called police.
When the friends came back a few minutes later — sometime after 5:19 a.m. — police officers were already at the scene, having responded to a call of a woman down.
The officers found Moffitt-Santiago on the sidewalk in the 3700 block of Central Avenue. She was unconscious but still breathing.
Medics took her to IU Health Methodist Hospital, where a doctor pronounced her dead just before 11 a.m.
An autopsy revealed that she had been shot a single time in the back of her head.
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Abuse and harassment
The fatal shooting came just weeks before Moffitt-Santiago's birthday. She would have been 35.
In addition to leaving behind her 10-year-old son, investigators said, Moffitt-Santiago appeared to be in the early stages of pregnancy.
In June, court records say, Moffitt-Santiago told Jenkins about the pregnancy, which began after she started dating someone else.
Jenkins told her to get an abortion, according to court records.
That conversation happened in the days following Jenkins' release from Marion County Jail on June 19, 2019.
He had started harassing her, witnesses told police, continuing a practice that had been happening for months.
Records show IMPD officers handled a domestic violence call involving the two on March 15. In court records, investigators noted Moffitt-Santiago said she wanted to leave Jenkins and then he hit her. It was the second time he hit her that week, police noted.
Moffitt-Santiago ended up not following through on criminal charges, court records say. But a family member informed Jenkins' parole officer. That upset Jenkins, investigators say, and he started harassing Moffitt-Santiago and a family member.
By early July — after the release from jail, the pregnancy conversation and learning about the new relationship — Jenkins repeatedly tried to reach Moffitt-Santiago, court records say.
In the 24 hours prior to Moffitt-Santiago's death, according to court records, Jenkins sent her more than 350 messages and tried to call her at least 80 times.
She responded over and over again by telling Jenkins to leave her alone.
Jenkins last tried to contact her at 3:49 a.m., police say — about an hour before Jenkins drove to the friend's house where Moffitt-Santiago had visited that morning.
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Other criminal evidence
In addition to the witness statements, IMPD detectives reviewed surveillance cameras that were near the crime scene.
One camera captured audio of the shooting around 5:10 a.m., court records say. Cell phone records, meanwhile, show Jenkins used his phone in the area starting at 5:14 a.m.
This month the Marion County prosecutor's office charged Jenkins with murder and unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, a Level 4 felony.
Jenkins has not yet been arrested. Those with information about Jenkins or the homicide should contact IMPD homicide detectives at 317-327-3475 or Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477.
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Resources
Help is available for people in an abusive relationship.
The Julian Center, available at 317-920-9320, is one resource urged by IMPD. Beacon of Hope, available at 317-731-6140, is another place that can help.
And if someone is experiencing abuse but it is not an emergency, IMPD's non-emergency phone number is 317-327-3811.
This year IndyStar is deeply examining the level of violence in Indianapolis: why it is occurring, what is being done about it and what may inspire solutions. The project, called The Toll, also includes a weekly email newsletter. Subscribe for free at indystar.com/thetoll.
Contact IndyStar reporter Ryan Martin at 317-444-6294 or ryan.martin@indystar.com. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter: @ryanmartin