Indy Man Convicted of Murder from 2023 Shooting
INDIANAPOLIS — Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said Wednesday that an Indianapolis man has been convicted of murder for shooting and killing his neighbor in 2023.
After the guilty verdict, prosecutors also proved Zachariah Meehan to be a “Habitual Offender,” securing a sentencing enhancement.
“The defendant attempted to portray this killing as self-defense driven by fear,” Prosecutor Mears said. “But the evidence showed this was not about survival, but about someone who weaponized his own fear and assumptions to avoid accountability. The jury saw through that claim and delivered justice.”
On March 28, 2023, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police responded to a home on Orion Avenue on the east side of Indianapolis. That’s near South Emerson Avenue and Scecina Memorial High School. Police found Meehan’s neighbor, Thomas Baughman, lying in the front yard after he was shot.
Meehan was then arrested. Investigators say the shooting followed an argument between the neighbors. Meehan claimed Baughman approached him aggressively and reached for his waistband, but police did not find a weapon near Baughman. Before his arrest, Meehan posted commentary about the shooting on social media.
