Second Man Arrested in Murder of Westfield Poker Player
WESTFIELD, Ind.–A second person has been arrested in the murder of Indiana poker player James “Matt” Lushin.
Lushin was found dead in his Westfield home on March 12. Justin Jones was taken into custody on Wednesday.
Ronald Dewayne Brown Jr. is accused of shooting Lushin over a debt, with new court documents suggesting that Justin Jones was involved in the crime as well. Investigators believe Brown and Jones were engaged in drug trafficking related to the stolen marijuana from Lushin’s home.
Court documents also indicated that not only did Jones know Brown, but the two of them called one another several times the night of Lushin’s death. Police claim that the messages show both of them were coordinatoring how to steal marijuana from Lushin’s home and trying to cover up any evidence that would link them to the killing.
Emergency responders say when they got to the scene on March 12, Lushin was lying in a puddle of his own blood after having been shot several times in the 3900 block of Westfield Road near Shady Nook Road.
Both face charges of aiding or inducing murder, conspiracy to commit murder, armed robbery, theft, and dealing marijuana, with a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.
Brown is also charged with murder. Investigators believe Brown drove to Lushin’s home in a rented black Dodge Durango with a piece of cardboard placed on the license plate in an attempt to conceal it from license plate readers. Police say they were first tipped off to Jones’ involvement because the forensic team found his fingerprint on the license plate concealer Brown was using.
