Indianapolis grandmother fatally shot in the back of the neck; police make arrest in case

Melisa Hansboro, 54, was moving into a new home on the southeast side of Indianapolis when police say someone shot her at close range in the back of the neck. Hansboro's body was discovered hours later by her 6-year-old grandson, who entered her locked house through a busted window screen after calls to Hansboro's cellphone went unanswered.

On Monday, detectives with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department made an arrest in Hansboro's killing. Jerry Lewis, 64, was taken into custody where he remains at the Community Justice Campus without bail.

On the evening of June 1, police arrived at the 1700 block of Spruce Street, roughly six blocks south of where Pleasant Run Trail winds northward into the east side of the city. Officers met Hansboro's daughter and two grandchildren outside the home's brick and vinyl front porch where they told police about their grisly discovery.

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Hansboro had recently moved into the home after living at a hotel, according to a probable cause affidavit for Lewis' arrest. Her family showed up after 8 p.m. to find Hansboro's car, a 1994 maroon Buick Regal, missing and the house locked. The car was used at times by Lewis, who had been dating Hansboro for a few months, police learned.

During their investigation, police were told Hansboro and Lewis "were in the middle of a break-up," according to the affidavit. Earlier that same day, Hansboro visited with a new neighbor, who observed Hansboro appeared "agitated" whenever Lewis was around and remained quiet until he left.

Hansboro's grandson told police she and Lewis were arguing about a sink.

The last time Hansboro's daughter spoke to her mother was later that day at 6:29 p.m., according to phone records detectives obtained through Verizon. An incoming call at 6:36 p.m. from her daughter was rejected and sent to voicemail. There were four missed calls after that.

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Concerned, Hansboro's daughter drove to her mother's residence, discovered it locked, and tried calling again. She could hear the cellphone ringing from somewhere inside the house, she told police. Tearing open a window screen, Hansboro's daughter lifted her children into the house to unlock the door.

Police arrived moments later where investigators found Hansboro's body in the stairwell, according to an affidavit. An autopsy later determined she had been shot in the back of the neck. Detectives found gunpowder on the entrance wound, indicating the shot had been fired at close range. The bullet had exited Hansboro's nose.

In the basement, detectives recovered a spent .380 cartridge casing, along with a fired bullet and at least one metal fragment. Investigators searched the home and, inside a multi-drawer storage container at the front of the residence, they found men's clothing and paperwork bearing the name of Jerry Lewis.

The only damage to the exterior of the home investigators could find was the torn screen.

Roughly two hours after detectives discovered her body, Lewis arrived at police headquarters, an affidavit states, after first calling 911 to request a welfare check on Hansboro. Lewis told the 911 operator he was concerned that Hansboro was being stalked by a former boyfriend and she might be hurt.

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Detectives informed Lewis that a death investigation was underway after he asked if Hansboro was all right. Lewis told police he went to work at 7 p.m. He said he tried calling her, an affidavit stated, and when he heard no response, went to the police station.

Investigators obtained cellphone records for Lewis, which showed he called Hansboro once, at 9:07 p.m., then shut his phone off at 9:08 p.m., according to an affidavit. Detectives determined both Lewis and Hansboro were at the home together from 5:35 p.m. until 6:44 p.m. on June 1 when security and surveillance footage near the homicide scene showed Lewis leaving the area in Hansboro's maroon Buick.

Police interviewed the man Lewis alleged had been stalking Hansboro. Detectives learned he and Hansboro had dated for more than a decade but had broken off their relationship in August 2022, an affidavit stated. He attempted to see her once when she lived at a hotel, but said Hansboro never came to the door.

Cellphone records that investigators obtained showed his phone pinged nowhere near the 1700 block of Spruce Street where Hansboro died.

Online jail records show Lewis is facing a preliminary charge of murder. The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office will make the final charging decision.

John Tufts covers evening breaking and trending news for the Indianapolis Star. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: INDIANAPOLIS CRIME: Melisa Hansboro killed in fatal shooting