Murder suspect’s trial begins April 21

The murder trial for Kenron Laing, accused of the November 2022 shooting death of 39-year-old Gildardo Garcia Salinas in northern Owen County, is scheduled to begin April 21 in the Owen County Circuit Court.

A two-year investigation culminated in the arrest of Laing, 24, in November of 2024.

Detectives from the Indiana State Police (ISP) Bloomington Post traveled to Fort Liberty, northwest of Fayetteville, North Carolina on Nov. 14 of last year where they were joined by Army Criminal Investigation Division agents in arresting Laing without incident.

Fort Liberty, formerly known as Fort Bragg, is one of the largest military installations in the world by population, with over 52,000 military personnel.

According to an article published in the Nov. 20, 2024 edition of Stars and Stripes, a daily newspaper reporting on matters concerning members of the United States Armed Forces, Laing enlisted in the Army in August 2023, about 10 months after Salinas was killed.

Private First Class Laing was identified by Stars and Stripes as a petroleum supply specialist assigned to the 82nd Airborne’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team.

An initial hearing was held Nov. 21, where Owen County Prosecutor Benjamin Kim said Laing was advised of the charges against him and his constitutional rights as an accused facing criminal charges.

Public defender Megan Schueler was appointed by the court to represent Laing, who remains in custody without bond at the Owen County Security Center pending the upcoming trial by jury.

The court has allotted five days for the jury trial.

According to a probable cause affidavit filed in the case by ISP Detective Ian Matthews, authorities from the state police were contacted on Nov. 2, 2022 to initiate an investigation following the shooting death of Salinas. The shooting happened at Salinas’ residence in the area of North Cataract Road and U.S. 231.

Authorities with the Owen County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) were first on the scene, having been notified via a 911 phone call received at approximately 8:25 p.m., the probable cause affidavit indicates. The caller reported gunshots had been fired and a male had been shot. Police arrived shortly thereafter to find Salinas deceased outside of his home from apparent gunshot wounds.

In total, authorities say two discarded iPhones were discovered at the scene. The first was located in a gravel area, the probable cause affidavit indicates, approximately 15-20 feet east of the victim’s body. Identified as a black iPhone housed in a clear case, the phone appeared to authorities to have been “wiped” or factory reset. Although the screen read “The iPhone has been locked,” an associated Gmail account would reportedly help police determine the phone belonged to Laing.

According to the probable cause affidavit, authorities with the ISP Cyber Crimes Unit were able to uncover identifying information from the phone which was used to gather subscriber information and records from both Apple and AT&T. The subscriber of the phone and associated service, authorities would discover, was listed as “Mr. Kenron Laing.”

Additional coverage of the case was published in the December 2024 issue of The Owen News. The article can be accessed on our website at here.

All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.