INDIANAPOLIS, IN – Darkness had barely lifted from the city streets when police say tragedy unfolded in a quiet Indianapolis neighborhood, ending with a young man dead and a months-long manhunt that came to a dramatic close with a surrender on New Year’s Day.
Antwan Hayes, a 19-year-old who had eluded authorities for weeks, is now behind bars after allegedly gunning down 23-year-old Kenneth Anthony Murff Jr. in the early hours of Nov. 11, 2025, and then vanishing into the cold autumn night. The gravity of the charges—murder and burglary with a deadly weapon—underscores the violent nature of the crime police say stemmed from a tangled web of jealousy and warnings ignored.
Court records reveal a chilling prelude. Months before the shooting, Hayes reportedly vowed harm to any future romantic interest of his former girlfriend. After their relationship collapsed, investigators believe Hayes became obsessed, making explicit threats that cast a long shadow over those close to her.
Yet, authorities say Kenneth Murff was not in a relationship with Hayes’ ex-girlfriend—his brother was. Despite this, Murff’s path would cross with Hayes’ vengeance, leading to fatal consequences.
On that fateful November morning, Hayes allegedly tracked his ex-girlfriend to a home on the city’s east side, arriving mere minutes after she had arrived there to be with her new boyfriend. Surveillance footage, cited in court documents, reportedly captured Hayes approaching the house with a pistol equipped with an extended magazine. Neighbors later described being awakened by shouts piercing the pre-dawn stillness, with Hayes demanding entry and threatening dreadful violence.
Moments later, when no one answered his calls to open the door, police say Hayes moved to the side of the home. Gunshots tore through a window. Inside, Murff was struck. Emergency responders rushed him to the hospital, but his wounds proved fatal.
In the chaos that followed, authorities allege, Hayes coerced his former girlfriend into fleeing with him in her car—a choice she would later describe to investigators as made out of bewilderment and fear. She contended she did not believe Hayes would make good on the threats he had uttered time and time again.
As the investigation unfolded, detectives pored over surveillance evidence and canvassed the area for leads. Weeks passed with no sign of Hayes, as the family of Murff grieved and the community watched anxiously for developments. Then, on January 1, Hayes voluntarily surrendered to police—a move that brought relief to some and new questions to others.
Hayes is currently being held in the Marion County Jail with no bond. A court appearance is set for March 3, where he will face the charges that have gripped Indianapolis for weeks.
While the legal process now takes center stage, the impact of the deadly shooting remains profound. Those close to Murff continue to mourn, while the neighborhood slowly wrestles with the memory of a night shattered by violence and a pledge that should never have been kept.