VALPARAISO, Ind. — A Valparaiso man who shot and killed another man in an apartment building stairway in June 2025 was sentenced Friday to 60 years, the Post-Tribune reported.
Porter Superior Court 2 Judge Jeffrey Clymer imposed the term on Kuran Demetrius Kinley, 26, on a count of murder with a firearm enhancement.
"In reality, it is almost, if not, a life sentence," Clymer said, according to the Post-Tribune.
Key facts
| Who | Kuran Demetrius Kinley, 26, of Valparaiso |
| Killed | JayVeon Triplett, 24, of Valparaiso |
| When / where | About 7:30 p.m. June 2, 2025, 1900 block of Chicago Street |
| Conviction | Guilty plea to murder with a firearm enhancement |
| Sentence | 60 years: 55 on murder, plus 5 for the enhancement |
| Dismissed | Criminal recklessness and handgun counts |
| Judge | Jeffrey Clymer, Porter Superior Court 2 |
A new plea deal
Kinley first pleaded guilty in May, The Times of Northwest Indiana reported. The Post-Tribune said that plea covered murder with an enhancement, criminal recklessness and carrying a handgun.
On Friday, Kinley's recently appointed defense attorney, Mitch Peters, and Deputy Prosecutor Kire Pavlovski entered a new agreement. Kinley pleaded guilty only to murder with the enhancement. The recklessness and handgun felony counts were dismissed.
Clymer said that under the agreement Kinley still received the maximum 55 years on the murder count. The extra five years came because he used a gun while having a prior felony conviction, the Post-Tribune reported.
Kinley pleaded guilty to a Level 6 felony battery charge in Lake County in 2020, the Post-Tribune reported, citing online court records. Two felony robbery charges were dismissed in that case.
The shooting
Valparaiso police were called about 7:30 p.m. June 2, 2025, to the 1900 block of Chicago Street for a report of a person shot, the department said in a release published by WIMS. Officers found a man with multiple gunshot wounds. He died at the scene.
The Porter County Coroner's Office identified him as JayVeon Triplett, 24, of Valparaiso, the Post-Tribune reported at the time.
The shooting happened in an apartment building stairway as a child looked on, The Times reported.
A probable cause statement says Kinley lived in the same apartment complex and was upset that Triplett was at the apartment while Kinley's child by his ex-girlfriend was there, according to the Post-Tribune. Kinley shot Triplett several times.
Police searched for the shooter with help from the Porter County Emergency Response Team. Officers found Kinley in the 300 block of Indiana Avenue and took him into custody, according to police. He was 24 then, and police listed him as being from Highland.
In court
When the statements of guilt were read in open court, Kinley answered "correct," the Post-Tribune reported.
None of Triplett's family members attended the hearing. Clymer said the presentence report held many statements from Triplett's family that were "heartbreaking."
Kinley read a handwritten apology. "I apologize to all of his family, friends and loved ones," he said. He said two lives were lost that day, Triplett's and his own.
"No words can describe," Kinley said. "That being said, I am sorry."
Peters said Kinley was deeply touched that Triplett's mother let him know he was forgiven. She expressed hope that he would "find God" in prison, Peters said, according to the Post-Tribune.
Region N3 is not naming the child who saw the shooting.
Photo credit
- Lead photo: Porter County Building on Indiana Avenue, Valparaiso. Chris Light, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized; shared under the same license.
- Porter County Courthouse, about 1980 (postcard, photo by John Penrod). Steve Shook, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0. Resized.
- Valparaiso from the air. Ken Lund, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized; shared under the same license.
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