67 years in prison for Gary man convicted of murder that stemmed from gas station altercation (2024)

CROWN POINT — A judge handed down a 67-year prison sentence to a Gary man Tuesday for killing a 22-year-old man inside a gas station after the man and his brother got into an altercation.

Lake County Judge Samuel Cappas sentenced Aaron Sawyer, 26, to 60 years for the murder charge and seven years for a firearm enhancement for killingDorell Townsend May 31, 2020, at a gas station in the 2700 block of Fifth Avenue in Gary.

A jury convicted Sawyer of the murder last month after theyheard testimony from various witnesses, including Townsend's girlfriend, Hannah Brown, Sawyer's brother Terry Horton and Sawyer himself, who said he pulled the gun after he saw a weapon in Townsend's pants and feared the altercation would escalate.

During the sentencing hearing, Cappas heard from Brown andTownsend's mother, Troial Andrews, about the heartache Sawyer's actions caused.

"Dorell was the first man I ever got to love," Brown said. "And you took that away from me."

Andrews told Sawyer she forgives him for what he did but wishes he would have admitted what happened rather than putting the family through a trial.She said Townsend has four children, one of whom had been conceived shortly before his death, who feel the loss of their father.

"The last thing my son said to his kids — he was a full time dad, he had custody — was, 'I'll be back,'" Andrews said.

The prosecution and defense argued the sentence they believed was most appropriate, with the prosecution asking for 60 years for the murder plus seven for the firearm enhancement. Deputy Prosecutor Kasey Dafoe said Sawyer had no right to pull his weapon because Townsend presented no imminent threat other than the fact he did have a gun. He also wasn't part of the argument.

"Mr. Sawyer had no dog in the fight from the state's perspective," Dafoe said.

She said Sawyer committed the murder in front of three young children, making the crime more heinous. She said he failed to turn himself for more than two years after the charges were filed in June 2020, even after his brother was arrested later that year and struck a plea deal with the prosecutor's office.

Defense attorney John Cantrell asked for a 45-year sentence for the murder because Sawyer suffered from paranoia after his brother was shot inside a gas station in February 2019, which was why he was so inclined to pull out his gun when he felt his other brother's life was threatened.

"He felt he and his brother's lives were in danger, so he took action," Cantrell said.

When Sawyer had the opportunity to make a statement in court, he addressed Andrews directly. He said words cannot express his feelings of sorrow and hopes she can "listen to his heart."

"Ma'am, I'm sorry," Sawyer said. "I really don't know what to say. I have empathy for you. My mama lost a son too."

Cappas said while he believes Sawyer showed genuine remorse for what he did, he does not agree that it was done out of paranoia and fear.

"The defendant is now guilty of creating the same paranoia he claims to have suffered from," Cappas said, referencing the other patronsin the gas station who witnessed the murder, including the children.

He agreed with the state's sentencing recommendation.

After the hearing, Andrews said she was surprised by the hefty sentence Sawyer received. She thought he would get 45 years in prison.

"I feel sorry for him," Andrews said. "But, in that one second, he made a choice."