Man convicted in shooting of woman found dead in idling car in downtown Indy

A man has been convicted in the 2020 fatal shooting of a woman who was found dead in an idling car parked outside downtown Indianapolis’ main municipal building.

A Marion County jury found Ladriel Chapman guilty Tuesday of murder in Doneasha Galbreath’s June 2020 slaying. He is scheduled to be sentenced March 4.

Officers found Galbreath slumped over the front passenger seat of a car parked outside the City-County Building. The car’s stereo was “blasting” music and multiple shell casings were on the floorboard, prosecutors said in a news release.

Hours later, Chapman arrived at the Marion County Jail with blood on his clothes and told deputies he needed to speak with a detective, prosecutors said.

Chapman said during interviews with investigators that he and Galbreath were arguing in the car when she pulled a gun and waved it at him. He said the two struggled over the gun, and it went off during the altercation, prosecutors said.

An autopsy later determined Galbreath had been shot nine to 13 times.

Prosecutors said Chapman acknowledged that he parked the car downtown after the altercation.

“Far too often, we witness the tragedy of intimate partner abuse escalate to homicide,” Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement. “As a community, we must remain vigilant for the signs of domestic violence, and we must raise awareness of the resources that are available to those impacted.”