Richmond man gets 85 years for killing neighbor, wounding another

RICHMOND, Ind. — A Richmond man convicted of fatally shooting his neighbor and trying to kill that victim's mother has been sentenced to 85 years in prison.

Elick Tywayne Allen, 44, was sentenced Wednesday in Wayne Superior Court 2 by Judge Gregory Horn. A jury in June had found Allen guilty of both murder and attempted murder.

The Richmond man had been accused of fatally shooting John D. Day, 46, in the victim's New Paris Pike home on May 13, 2021. Allen also shot Day's mother, Brenda, then 72. She survived.

According to an affidavit, Allen and the Days were neighbors and had been feuding before the slayings.

After Allen reportedly insulted John Day's daughter, Day confronted Allen near the defendant's home and punched him, breaking his nose.

Allen, armed with a.45-caliber handgun, entered the Days' home without permission, first shooting Brenda Day and then fatally shooting her son, who was seated in a chair in the living room, in the neck.

After Wednesday's sentencing hearing, Richmond Police Chief Kyle Weatherly issued a statement, saying in part that the case "sends a firm message that crime will be solved and offenders will be held accountable."

According to court records, Allen — then of Williamsburg — was convicted of a battery charge stemming from a shooting in 2009.

He is set to stand trial Nov. 18, also in Circuit Court 2, on a count of dealing in marijuana, a Level 5 felony carrying up to six years in prison.

When police searched Allen's home in the wake of the 2021 slaying, they reported finding an indoor marijuana grow operation and seized more than 10 pounds of marijuana.

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