The Indiana Court of Appeals upheld the conviction of a woman who lured a man to his death in a rural Miami County woods in 2018.
Brittany Morris, 22, lost her appeal of her guilty verdict in connection to the 2018 murder of 22-year-old Drake Smith. A jury had convicted Morris on a felony count of aiding, inducing or causing robbery and a misdemeanor count of theft in for the crime in March of 2022. 17-years-old at the time of the murder, Morris was tried as an adult and sentenced to 48 years in prison two months after her conviction, receiving her sentence in May of 2022.
According to investigators, Morris, with the help of Ethan Cain and Joshua Kean, plotted to rob Drake Smith in May 2018. Luring Smith to Okie Pinokie Trail, a wooded area outside of Peru, Morris told the victim there would be a party. Instead, Smith was repeatedly hit in the head by Cain with a breaker bar, provided by Kean.
During the assault, Smith's vehicle was also ransacked. Court documents stated the group stole beer, drugs and money from Smith. It was also reported that Morris had stolen a Bluetooth speaker from the vehicle. Cain removed Smith’s shorts, which contained his wallet and additional marijuana.
Smith was left to die in the wooded area. Mushroom hunters found his body just hours later.
The following day the group was said to have traveled to Muncie, where Morris used some of the stolen money from Smith to buy a swimsuit and an auxiliary cord for the stolen Bluetooth speaker.
Burning their clothing worn shortly after the crime, Cain and Kean later dropped off Morris at her home before fleeing to California, where they would both eventually be apprehended.
Court documents state that after the murder, Morris phone history revealed Google searches like “what is accessory to a crime” and “how many years can you get for accessory after the fact."
The recent appeal argued there was “insufficient evidence” to support her conviction of aiding, inducing or causing murder. Morris claimed she had no way of knowing Smith would be beaten to death or that her friends had access to a weapon.
The Indiana Court of Appeals, however, ruled it was clear that Morris was at the scene of the crime, inciting Cain and Kean to rob Smith. Morris also didn’t try to stop the attack and stole items from Smith’s truck during his assault. It was also noted by the court that Morris implied that Smith would be an easy target, stating he “can’t fight.”
The appeals court issued its opinion in June and it was certified Friday, August 18.
