2 people charged in connection to 2023 South Bend shooting in 17 month-long investigation

SOUTH BEND — More than 17 months after Justin Gerhard ”Stewie” Stewart’s death , South Bend Police arrested a man and a woman in July in connection to his murder.

Following their arrests, the St. Joseph County Prosecutor ’s office charged Christopher Cornelius Brown with murder and conspiracy to commit murder and London Davis with conspiracy to commit murder.

Around 4 a.m. Jan. 23, 2023, South Bend Police were called to the 500 block of South 29th Street, in the city’s River Park neighborhood , on reports of gunshots.

In its July 12 supplemental affidavit in support of probable cause, the prosecutor’s office said South Bend Police found Stewart, 31, on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds.

According to South Bend Police, he was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead, but the affidavit said he died on the scene. The prosecutor’s office didn’t address the contradiction when asked.

In the affidavit, the prosecutor’s office said that the investigation revealed that Brown believed that Stewart and another man shot him in a motorcycle club dispute in September 2022.

In a Mirandized interview, the affidavit said, Brown admitted that various women helped him shop for handguns and locate and track Stewart and his vehicles and residences in the time between the 2022 shooting and Stewart’s death.

The prosecutor said this was confirmed by messages between Brown and Davis’ phones, although there are redactions in that section of the affidavit. Both Brown and Davis denied that the conversation was about killing Stewart, the prosecutor said.

Also in a Mirandized interview, the affidavit said, Brown denied that he shot or killed Stewart even though he also admitted that he wanted Stewart dead, tracked him and planned to kill him in the future.

Davis’ initial hearing took place July 17 before Judge Christopher Fronk . A recusal was ordered. Fronk was the Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney on the case at the time the affidavit was written.

Brown’s initial hearing with Judge Fronk takes place at 8 a.m. Aug. 14.

These arrests and charges came more than 17 months after Stewart’s death, which drew numerous comments on Facebook questioning why it had taken so long.

Although she didn’t address the Stewart homicide investigation specifically, the police department’s director of communications, Ashley O’Chap, said many factors influence how long an investigation takes.

“The length of an investigation, under most circumstances, can hinge on factors such as the amount of initial evidence, witness cooperation, case complexity and the number of people involved,” she said.

Additionally, O’Chap said, the prosecutor’s office could seek more information and clarification from detectives before deciding whether to file charges.

Through Facebook Messenger, Brittiny Bell said she met Stewart through the HoodRat Riders Motorcycle Club.

“He was a great guy though very giving always the life of the party always making people around him laugh,” she told The Tribune. “He had his faults but he was loyal to a fault on the people he cared about.”

Email Tribune staff writer Camille Sarabia at csarabia@gannett.com .

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: 2 people charged in connection to 2023 South Bend shooting in 17 month-long investigation