Lafayette man charged with murder in Briarwood Apartments slaying

LAFAYETTE, Ind. ― Kwame Riddle became the first person in 2024 charged with murder in Tippecanoe County.

Riddle fatally stabbed Terry Taylor early July 11 in the 1600 block of Briarwood Court, leaving him bleeding to death in the middle of the road, according to prosecutors who filed charges Wednesday. Riddle, who has been jailed since that day, will remain incarcerated without bond until his trial, which is scheduled for Nov. 12.

Prosecutors also charged Riddle, 34, with a sentence-enhancing charge of being a habitual offender for having two felony drug-related convictions in Illinois and one felony drug-related conviction in Tippecanoe County, according to court records.

Riddle, who one witness knows only as "King," and Taylor started trash talking each other inside an apartment, and the tenant asked them to leave because she didn't want any problems, according to prosecutors. Riddle walked back to his girlfriend's apartment, which is in the 1600 block of Briarwood Court and adjacent to where the trash talking started, according to prosecutors.

Another witness told police Riddle had a knife clipped to his waistband when he and Taylor argued about 12:40 a.m. July 11, and witnesses told police that Riddle and Taylor each threw punches at the same time. But based on Taylor's reaction, it appeared that Riddle stabbed Taylor instead of punching him, according to prosecutors.

After the first blow, Taylor collapsed onto the parking lot's asphalt and died there, according to prosecutors.

Riddle's girlfriend, Keanna Hannah, 39, initially told police that Riddle had not been inside her apartment but later told investigators that he went inside it after the stabbing, according to prosecutors. A knife believed to be the murder weapon was found inside Hannah's apartment.

Hannah also said her SUV was taken after the stabbing, later admitting that she saw Riddle drive away in it. But a witness told police they saw she heard Hannah tell Riddle to "get out of here and handed him the car keys," according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors also charged Hannah on Wednesday afternoon, accusing her of assisting a criminal suspected of murder, a Level 5 felony, obstruction of justice, a Level 6 felony, and false informing, a Class A misdemeanor.

Police arrested Hannah on Thursday, but she posted bond before Friday morning.

If convicted of the most serious charge, Hannah faces one to six years in prison.

If convicted of murder, Riddle faces 45 to 65 years in prison. If he's convicted of being a habitual offender for three prior drug-dealing convictions, he faces an additional eight to 20 years in prison, according to Indiana law.

Taylor's death is the second homicide in the county in 2024.

The first was the killing of Charles Rhode, who was fatally shot early Jan. 11 inside a house in the 2300 block of Drexel Drive. Rhode's roommate shot him, but prosecutors have not charged him, indicating the roommate acted in self-defense.

Reach Ron Wilkins at rwilkins@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2.