Wayne County man, 19, gets 45 years for role in Centerville homicide

RICHMOND, Ind. — A 19-year-old Richmond man has been sentenced to 45 years in prison for his role in a 2020 homicide.

A Wayne Superior Court 1 jury last November found Lucas David James Benkert guilty of aiding, inducing or causing murder. He was sentenced April 30 by Judge Charles Todd.

On April 26, Todd sentenced Benkert's co-defendant, 19-year-old James Beau Burkhart of Centerville, to 55 years in prison. Another jury had found Burkhart guilty of murder in the December 2020 shooting death of his father, 51-year-old James Jason Burkhart.

Benkert was 15 when the homicide took place in his family's Centerville home.

Investigators said Benkert had been visiting the younger Burkhart when Burkhart's father drove both teens to Benkert's house.

Benkert asked both Burkharts inside to meet his father, who was not home at the time, according to an affidavit. The elder Burkhart was then shot twice, by his son, with a .380-caliber handgun and a .22-caliber handgun.

The affidavit said Benkert agreed to accept blame for the killing, took the shooting victim's car and fled to Ohio.

He was arrested in the Columbus, Ohio, area after leading a police chase that ended when he crashed the car.

Interviewed after the arrest, Benkert claimed he shot his friend's father because he had learned the shooting victim had been abusive to both the younger Burkhart and his mother.

However, audio from a security camera at the shooting scene indicated the younger Burkhart fired the fatal shots.

Douglas Walker is a news reporter for The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Richmond teen gets 45 years for role in man's shooting death