Mother of 1998 murder victim sees similarities in 2022 suspect

INDIANAPOLIS — Bonita Davis mentioned her coronary heart sank when she noticed that Jason Rhea had been arrested for the homicide of a girl whose physique was dumped on I-70 east of Indianapolis this spring.

“I had a concern that he was going to homicide once more, as a result of he was actual smug and boastful when he was in court docket. I simply didn’t know when,” mentioned Davis. “After I heard concerning the second killing that he was concerned in and this younger woman being killed, it simply harm me to my core, and what harm me probably the most to my core is the style by which that younger woman was killed. He additionally shot my son in his head, the identical method by which he shot this younger woman.”

Rhea was charged, and located not responsible, within the killing of Lamon Younger in December 1998 close to the 3300 block of North Arsenal Avenue.

When police arrived to look Rhea’s home, they discovered him sporting Younger’s garments and driving Younger’s automobile earlier than discovering Younger’s physique within the basement.

A murder detective broke the information to Younger’s mom.

“He mentioned, ‘Miss Bonita,’ he says, ‘Have you ever ever heard of the expression participant hater?’,” Davis recalled. “He mentioned, ‘Nicely, that’s the rationale why your son was murdered. That’s the rationale why he was killed.’ So that they killed him for his automobile and his private belongings in the home.”

Rhea’s unique convictions on gun and theft costs have been overturned, and he was later convicted on a cost of armed theft to which he was sentenced to 13 years in jail.

Indiana State Police detectives mentioned that Dai-Ghia Hogan was final seen on March 1 with Rhea leaving a North Shadeland Avenue resort earlier than daybreak and was later discovered shot to demise on the median of I-70 close to the 93 mile marker.

Investigators assume Hogan was on her knees earlier than she was shot behind the pinnacle. Shell casings matching Rhea’s gun have been found on the scene.

Investigators mentioned one other girl was current through the killing.

“He has a historical past of robbing and now killing and I don’t need anybody to really feel the harm and ache that I’m feeling proper now,” mentioned Davis. “You always remember about the one you love however these reminiscences simply resurface identical to it was yesterday once more once I realized he was linked with this final homicide.”

In what or is probably not a coincidence, certainly one of Hogan’s kinfolk mentioned Sunday afternoon that the slain girl had relations who stay simply down the road from the house the place Lamon Younger was killed greater than 23 years in the past. The person mentioned that his household was conscious of Rhea’s legal historical past and would hold shut tabs on his present case.

Bonita Davis thinks that’s smart recommendation.

“The courts failed us as soon as and I pray to God that they don’t fail us once more,” she mentioned.

Rhea’s homicide trial is ready for late July.