A 23-year-old Indianapolis woman, Deborah Benefiel, has been charged with murder and criminal recklessness after police say she shot and killed another driver during a road rage incident on the city’s west side.
According to investigators, the shooting happened around 2 p.m. on Friday, October 17, 2025, near 38th Street and Georgetown Road.
Police say the victim, 21-year-old Kentrell Settles, was behind Benefiel’s car at a red light. When the light turned green and her car didn’t move, Settles honked his horn to alert her.
That simple honk, allegedly angered Benefiel and tragically, it ended with a deadly gunshot.
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| Deborah Benefiel |
Instead of driving away, she reportedly followed the victims car, yelling and waving her hands before firing a single shot into the vehicle.
The bullet shattered Settles’ rear window and hit him, piercing his lung and heart before lodging in his chest. He was rushed to Eskenazi Health in critical condition but was later pronounced dead.
“The shooting occurred after the victim honked at the defendant to alert them that a traffic signal had turned green,” the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement.
“It’s further alleged the defendant followed the victim before shooting into his vehicle, striking him in the chest.”
Settles’ family is now left to mourn the sudden loss of a young man described as kind and full of potential.
His father, Kenneth Murff, told Fox 59, “He’s loved by so many people and so many people are going to miss him. A precious life was taken for no reason.”
Murff added that what hurts most is how senseless it all was. “He didn’t do anything wrong, and for it to still happen, it troubles you as a father,” he said.
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| Kentrell Settles |
After the shooting, Benefiel fled the crime screen but investigators later used license plate readers to track her SUV.
She was found at a nearby gas station, where police say she and her mother were attempting to remove identifying stickers from the vehicle
Benefiel was arrested within hours and taken into custody without incident, but she reportedly refused to speak to police after her arrest, as reported by PEOPLE.
She has no prior criminal record and is currently being held without bond pending trial.
Prosecutors say the shooting is another tragic example of how anger behind the wheel can turn deadly in an instant.
“A moment of anger should not cost someone their life,” said Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears. “The victim in this case honks his horn and ends up losing his life. It’s beyond senseless.”
Authorities hope Settles’ death serves as a reminder that one moment of anger can have devastating consequences.
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