In an absolutely bizarre incident, an Indianapolis woman is facing major criminal charges after she shot a man because he honked at her. A 23-year-old woman named Deborah Benefiel is facing murder and criminal recklessness charges, according to an IndyStar report.
What triggered Deborah Benefiel to shoot at the man was beyond shocking. She shot 21-year-old Kentrell Settles during a drive. The moment the traffic lights turned green, she paused, and Kentrell Settles honked at her, which made Deborah furious and shoot at him. Per the local authorities, Deborah fatally shot Settles on October 17 in Indianapolis. As per a probable cause affidavit, she shot the car of Kentrell Settles, and that is what killed him.
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said Indianapolis is replete with such road-rage cases. “We see a lot of road rage incidents in the city, but this one is distinguishable because of a single honk of the horn,” IndyStar quoted Ryan Mears as saying.
“Usually there’s more than just a horn that gets people fired up on the road whether it’s yelling or trying to brake check someone. This just illustrates a complete senselessness,” he added.
License plate readers helped lead the cops to Deborah Benefiel’s location. She was arrested on the same day of the incident.
Deborah Benefiel has no prior criminal record. Reflecting on her case, Ryan Mears said, “It speaks to the violence we face. She has no criminal history or prior experience with the criminal justice system. These were two individuals who didn’t know each other.”
Meanwhile, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Chief Chris Bailey also issued a public statement condemning the road-rage incident. “The senseless death of this victim is both heartbreaking and unacceptable. This tragedy serves as a stark reminder of how quickly anger and violence can destroy lives and families,” read the post shared on X.
The Police Chief went on to add in the X entry, “I am proud of the dedicated work of our officers, analysts, & detectives who jumped into action, using technology & strong investigative work to identify & arrest the individual responsible. Their hard work sends a clear message. Violence like this has no place in our city.”
I am proud of the dedicated work of our officers, analysts, & detectives who jumped into action, using technology & strong investigative work to identify & arrest the individual responsible.
Their hard work sends a clear message.
Violence like this has no place in our city. https://t.co/j1pflBtgQ6
— Chief Chris Bailey (@IMPD_Chief) October 20, 2025
Upon arriving at the crime site on October 17, the Police witnessed a gold 2006 Chevrolet Malibu with a man with a gunshot wound inside. They received a call from a person around 2 p.m. in the 3600 block of Donald Avenue. Kentrell Settles was rushed to Eskenazi Health immediately and was declared dead at 2:43 p.m.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Kentrell Settles was accompanied by his girlfriend when the incident took place. Settles was meant to drop his girlfriend off at her parents’ house on Donald Avenue.
As the couple stopped at the red light on West 38th Street and Georgetown Road, they were stationed behind a woman driving a mint green Ford SUV, who wouldn’t move from her spot. On being honked at once, she immediately shot at Settles. Per the court documents, the woman was reportedly “yelling, screaming and throwing her hands around while inside the vehicle.”
Benefiel reportedly told a Police officer that “the gun was in the apartment in a bag.” In addition to that, the Court records stated that the officers also chanced upon a .40 caliber Glock handgun in her purse. Deborah Benefiel’s initial round of hearing began on October 21.
Grief-stricken Settles’ father, Kenneth Murff, said his son was “loved by so many people,” and that his precious life “was taken for no reason.” “He didn’t do anything wrong and for it to still happen, it troubles you as a father,” Murff said.
