On Monday, the walls of a home in Indiana were covered in blood after a woman was found bludgeoned to death. A man is currently behind bars.
Regulus Baka, 22, is accused of one count of murder, according to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
The victim in this case has been identified as Shanaiya McDonald. The circumstances surrounding her death and the immediate aftermath are grim and gruesome.
The victim’s roommate called police at 5:43 a.m. on Dec. 30 after discovering her body behind a bedroom door, according to court documents obtained by The Indianapolis Star.
McDonald is said to have suffered obvious head trauma and was pronounced dead shortly after emergency medical responders arrived at the apartment on Ella Dobbs Lane on Indianapolis’ south side.
Responding officers allegedly discovered a blood-soaked towel on the porch outside. Inside, blood is said to have been splattered everywhere.
Police said there were signs of a struggle in court documents obtained by the newspaper. According to police, a plastic bag was found next to the body, drenched in blood. A clear plastic tape had been applied to the victim’s upper head.
According to police, the woman who made the horrific discovery is accused of pointing out who she believed was to blame for her roommate’s death.
The story gradually came together.
Investigators said a witness reported hearing a woman scream for help around 4 a.m. that day.
According to the apartment management, maintenance workers later discovered McDonald’s cellular phone in a dumpster, along with a laptop with her name on the sign-in screen, police allege. In the same dumpster, police allegedly discovered a telling piece of evidence: clear plastic tape with blood on it, similar to the tape found on the victim’s head.
According to police, the dumpster in question was in the line of sight of a surveillance camera. According to police, the footage from that device shows a man walking out of the complex, throwing something away, and then leaving in a vehicle.
According to court documents, law enforcement then allegedly linked a vehicle owned by the Baka family to the vehicle seen in the surveillance footage. Traffic cameras in the area, about four miles from the crime scene, are said to have captured images of the vehicle, a black Ford Fusion, at around 4:33 a.m.
The vehicle was discovered at a different apartment complex, which police reportedly searched after receiving a warrant. According to police, the owner of the car told investigators that Baka was sleeping at his parents’ house around the corner.
According to the court document, several people left Baka’s parents’ home after police asked them to. However, the defendant initially refused, according to police.
Baka eventually left after the SWAT team arrived and used a drone and distraction device, according to police.
As the defendant exited, police asked if he was hurt.
“Only from last night,” Baka allegedly replied.
After being Mirandized and interrogated, the defendant allegedly confessed in great detail.
According to court documents obtained by the Star, detectives initially used a French translator to ensure Baka understood his constitutional rights. Baka, for his part, allegedly stated that he did and then insisted on conducting the interview in English.
The defendant alleged that the two had a turbulent relationship in which the woman frequently cheated on him and treated him poorly. Baka provided evidence of such mistreatment, including McDonald allegedly threatening to kill his family and slapping him in the face without justification, cause, or explanation.
Baka stated that he went to see the victim on December 29 and stayed all night because McDonald’s birthday was December 31. This celebration quickly turned into the woman slapping the man and threatening to call someone else over to beat him up, he claims.
The defendant insisted that he initially ignored the slaps but eventually hit McDonald back after enduring a certain number, resulting in a knock-down, drag-out fight, police allege.
Baka claimed that McDonald grabbed a knife and threatened to kill him at some point, after which he admitted to punching her in the head repeatedly. The violence escalated from there.
With the woman on the floor, the man allegedly picked up a space heater and hit her in the head four times. Then he allegedly used a kitchen pan to deliver more of the same type of blows.
“I just wanted her dead,” Baka allegedly said.
The defendant also allegedly admitted to wrapping tape around McDonald’s nose to make her stop breathing. Baka also allegedly claimed he stabbed her with a knife before dumping the cellphone, computer, and roll of tape in a dumpster outside the building.
The defendant is currently detained in Marion County Jail. He’s scheduled to appear in court for a hearing on January 3.
