A 15-year-old boy from Anderson, Indiana, will spend the foreseeable future of his life behind bars after a Madison County judge handed down a 100-year sentence for his role in a botched organized hit that resulted in the death of 26-year-old Dayla Swain in the early morning hours of February 2, 2025. The sentencing of Jo'Majze Larry marks one of the most significant developments yet in a sprawling criminal case involving eight individuals allegedly tied to Mickey Cobra Nation, a Chicago-based criminal organization with a deadly reach that extended into central Indiana.
The Madison County Prosecutor's Office confirmed the sentence following a hearing on Wednesday before Judge David Happe. The case has drawn widespread attention not only for the age of the defendant but for the calculated, organized nature of the crime — a contracted killing gone wrong that claimed the life of an innocent woman who was not the intended target.
WHAT HAPPENED
On February 2, 2025, at approximately 3 a.m., Anderson police responded to Sonny Ray's Café located in the 1500 block of South Madison Avenue following reports of a shooting. Officers arrived to find Dayla Swain suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. Swain was transported to Community Hospital, where she later died from her injuries. She was 26 years old.
Investigators quickly determined that Swain was not the intended target. According to court documents and prior reporting, the shooting was a targeted hit orchestrated by members of Mickey Cobra Nation, also known as MCN, a criminal organization that originated in Chicago. The actual target of the hit was a key witness in the criminal trial of Donovan Harris, a case rooted in a 2023 attempted robbery in which Harris and Julian Craig targeted an individual. Craig was shot and killed during that robbery, and the surviving witness became a liability to those connected to Harris. MCN was allegedly contracted or motivated to eliminate that witness before the trial could proceed. Swain was killed in the crossfire when the operation went catastrophically wrong.
Detectives reviewing footage from pole cameras positioned near the café observed muzzle flashes originating from both the north and south sides of the parking lot. A blue Ford F-150 was seen fleeing the scene, heading south on Madison Avenue. That vehicle was later recovered with significant ballistic damage — its rear window had been shot out, the right front passenger door bore at least one bullet hole below the window line, the front windshield sustained three bullet holes, and two additional holes were found on the passenger side along with one through the driver's side. Investigators recovered 12 spent 9mm shell casings and one spent .45 caliber extended handgun magazine containing 14 rounds of ammunition at the scene.
KEY DETAILS
Jo'Majze Larry was convicted in June 2026 following a trial that resulted in guilty verdicts on five counts: Murder, Attempted Murder as a Level 1 Felony, Conspiracy to Commit Murder as a Level 2 Felony, Criminal Organization Activity as a Level 5 Felony, and Dangerous Possession of a Firearm as a Class A Misdemeanor. During Wednesday's sentencing hearing, Judge David Happe imposed 50 years for the murder conviction. An additional 50 years was added through a criminal organization enhancement, bringing the total sentence to 100 years in the Indiana Department of Correction.
Madison County Prosecutor Andrew Hanna noted that under Indiana Code 35-38-1-17, Larry will have the opportunity to petition for a sentence modification after serving a minimum of 20 years. This provision applies specifically to minors sentenced for murder and does not require the consent of the prosecuting attorney. Critically, the 20-year threshold does not include credit time earned through good behavior or participation in educational programs, meaning Larry must serve the full 20 years before any petition can be considered.
Following the February 2025 shooting, Larry fled Indiana with co-defendant Rashawn Samuels, traveling to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Because Larry was only 14 years old at the time, his parents filed a missing persons report. The investigation into his whereabouts took a significant turn when law enforcement discovered a social media post attributed to Larry that read, "I'm not coming back till this murder case ova." Larry ultimately turned himself in to Anderson police on March 2, 2025. Samuels had been arrested in Milwaukee approximately one month earlier. An arrest warrant was issued for Ja'Brawll Thomas, who was booked into the Madison County Jail on March 18, 2025. Javeayon Johnson and Javeaian Johnson, both juveniles at the time, were arrested on February 14, 2025.
BACKGROUND
Mickey Cobra Nation is a street gang with roots in Chicago that has been documented operating across multiple states. The organization's alleged involvement in the Swain killing reflects a pattern of criminal enterprises extending their operational reach beyond their city of origin, embedding themselves in smaller communities where law enforcement resources and gang intelligence infrastructure may be comparatively limited. Anderson, Indiana, a city of roughly 55,000 residents located northeast of Indianapolis, became the site of what prosecutors characterized as a professionally coordinated murder-for-hire operation.
Court documents reveal that investigators sifted through Instagram conversations allegedly involving Ja'Brawll Thomas and Rashawn Samuels, in which the two discussed plans to meet in Anderson on January 28, 2025, with the group agreeing to convene at Thomas' residence. These digital communications became a critical thread in the prosecution's case, illustrating the degree of premeditation involved in the operation. Samuels, known within Mickey Cobra Nation by the alias "Lil D," faces a maximum possible sentence of 176 years. His sentencing was scheduled for Thursday, the day following Larry's hearing.
The case against all eight defendants stems from the same underlying incident. The full list of individuals implicated includes Jo'Majze Larry, Ja'Brawll Thomas, Kyree Craver, Rashawn Samuels, Rejon Smith, Geno Moffett, Javeayon Johnson, and Javeaian Johnson. Each faces varying charges connected to the February 2025 shooting and the broader criminal organization activity surrounding it.
WHY IT MATTERS
The sentencing of Jo'Majze Larry to 100 years in prison at the age of 15 raises profound questions about juvenile criminal accountability, the reach of organized crime into mid-sized American cities, and the devastating collateral consequences of gang-related violence. Dayla Swain was not involved in any criminal activity. She was present at Sonny Ray's Café in the early hours of a Sunday morning and was killed because a criminal organization chose that location to carry out a targeted assassination. Her death is a stark illustration of how innocent civilians bear the ultimate cost of organized criminal operations.
The case also underscores the growing challenge facing law enforcement agencies in tracking and prosecuting criminal organizations that operate across state lines. The use of social media for operational planning, as evidenced by the Instagram communications between Thomas and Samuels, and Larry's own social media post following the shooting, demonstrates how digital footprints have become indispensable tools in modern criminal investigations. In this case, those digital trails contributed directly to convictions and a century-long prison sentence for a teenager who had not yet reached his 15th birthday when the crime was committed.
The criminal organization enhancement applied to both Larry's sentence and that of Kyree Craver — who received 90 years on July 10, with 45 years for murder and 45 years for the Criminal Organization Enhancement — signals that Madison County prosecutors are aggressively pursuing the full weight of Indiana's gang enhancement statutes. These enhancements effectively double the baseline sentences and serve as a prosecutorial message to criminal organizations operating within the county's jurisdiction.
CURRENT STATUS
As of the date of publication, the legal proceedings against the remaining defendants in the Dayla Swain murder case are ongoing at various stages. Rashawn Samuels, also known as "Lil D," was scheduled to be sentenced on Thursday, July 30, 2026, and faces a maximum possible sentence of 176 years. Ja'Brawll Thomas is scheduled to stand trial beginning November 13, 2026, in Madison Circuit Court 4. The jury trials of Javeayon Johnson and Javeaian Johnson are slated to begin on September 28, 2026. Online court records do not currently reflect a confirmed sentencing date for Rejon Smith, who appeared in a rescheduling conference on July 14, 2026.
Geno Moffett remains at large. An arrest warrant was issued for Moffett on March 13, 2025, and as of this report, law enforcement has not confirmed his apprehension. Moffett is the only one of the eight implicated individuals who has not been taken into custody, and authorities continue to search for him. Anyone with information regarding Geno Moffett's whereabouts is encouraged to contact the Anderson Police Department or the Madison County Prosecutor's Office.
INTERESTED IN SUPPORTING OUR WORK ?
Your contribution helps us continue independent reporting, support first responders, and grow the Darkhorse Lionheart mission.
