INDIANAPOLIS — A jury in Indiana has convicted a 19-year-old man of murdering three people when he was 16, during a demonstration of how to modify a Glock handgun into a machine gun. Caden Smith was found guilty Friday on multiple charges, including three counts of murder, robbery, and possession of a machine gun, according to the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office.
The victims, identified as Abdulla Mubarak, 17, Joseph Thomas, 18, and Michael James, 22, were discovered dead on October 12, 2021, in a grassy area near the 4400 block of S. Meridian Street in Indianapolis. Each had sustained fatal gunshot wounds. Officers from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department found several spent shell casings at the scene, suggesting the use of a modified firearm.
Prosecutors revealed that Smith lured the three men to the location over two nights, under the pretense of demonstrating how to use a Glock switch, a device that converts a semiautomatic firearm into a fully automatic one. Smith then used the modified weapon to kill the men and rob them.
Text messages obtained by investigators played a crucial role in identifying Smith as the suspect. Authorities later recovered the murder weapon at Smith’s home.
Smith was also convicted of additional charges, including possession of methamphetamine and dangerous possession of a machine gun. His sentencing is expected to take place in the coming weeks.
