Douglas Walker,Keith Roysdon|The Star Press
MUNCIE, Ind. – Two years have passed since 18-year-old Christian Michael Orebaugh was shot to death in his southside Muncie home.
On Aug. 14, a 19-year-old Muncie man is scheduled to stand trial on murder and other charges stemming from Orebaugh’s death.
But that defendant is not believed to have fired the fatal gunshot.
Court documents suggest at least two other young men – armed with handguns – also entered Orebaugh’s home that night, apparently participants in a conspiracy to steal marijuana or guns.
To this point, the other alleged participants in the events leading to the killing have not been charged.
“We’ve got the case against (Darius Covington), but we’re still actively investigating the case against other individuals that we think may have been involved in it as well," Chief Deputy Prosecutor Zach Craig said.
The slaying of Christian Orebaugh – on July 2, 2015 – is the latest chapter in the Cold Case: Muncie project.
‘Never knew a stranger’
A few weeks before he died, Christian Orebaugh had graduated from Cowan High School.
His plans included enrolling at Ivy Tech Community College.
According to his obituary, Orebaugh was a sports enthusiast – a Star Press photograph shows him participating in a Gus Macker basketball tournament in 2011, when he was 14.
Other passions in the teen’s life included his dogs, his family, music and spending time with friends.
“He never knew a stranger,“ theobituary said, “and was loved by many.”
(His friends’ affection for Orebaugh was suchtwo days that after his death, a report of a break-in at his home turned out to be inaccurate. In fact, a few of hisfriends had stopped by, hoping to “collect memorabilia” to help them remember the shooting victim, an officer explained.)
A single shot
Authorities believe Orebaugh was shot – once, in the torso – by one of the intruders who entered his home, at 201 W. 23rd St., shortly before 11 p.m. on Thursday, July 2, 2015.
The teen was pronounced dead at the scene.
“We’re not sure who is responsible at this time,” Deputy Police Chief Mark Vollmar said hours after the slaying. “We have some names of the people who may have been in the house. ... We know some people we want to talk to.”
A man who was in the house with Orebaugh that evening told authorities he was in another room when he heard a knock at the front door, someone open the door and then the gunshot.
Witnesses reported seeing three men flee from the house.
With the suspicion young people were involved in the crime, a detective was assigned to review online postings made in the wake of Orebaugh’s death.
Two arrests
Twelve days after the slaying, police arrested a 16-year-old Muncie youth in connection with Orebaugh’s death. The teen was preliminarily charged with murder.
Four days later, however, the youth was transferred from the Delaware County jail to the county’s juvenile detention center, where he was held on charges unrelated to Orebaugh’s killing.
Formal charges stemming from the homicide have not been filed against him.
Asked at the time if that teen remained a suspect in the killing, Delaware County Prosecutor Jeffrey Arnold said, “I can’t comment on that.”
In early September, another Muncie youth – Darius Anthony Covington, then 17 – was arrested in connection with the killing.
He was formally charged – with felony murder, indicating he was a player in events leading to a homicide, along with counts of conspiracy to commit robbery resulting in serious bodily injury; aiding, inducing or causing robbery and aiding, inducing or causing criminal confinement.
Covington, now 19, is set to stand trial in Delaware Circuit Court 1 in mid-August. He has been incarcerated, awaiting trial, for 20 months.
Chief Deputy Prosecutor Craig acknowledged authorities know the names of other suspects in the slaying.
Will those young men testify at Covington’s trial?
“I doubt it,” Craig said. “I can’t imagine they will. That doesn’t mean they won’t be subpoenaed. My best guess is that either they would not show up or would not agree to testify.”
Conflicting accounts
A court document filed when Covington was arrested details much of what authorities have been told about the night Christian Orebaugh died.
The affidavit alleges Covington and another person – referred to only as “Suspect 2” – went to the West 23rd Street home that night to buy marijuana.
“Suspect 2,” meanwhile, told police that after he and Covington went inside to make the purchase, two other young men entered the house with guns drawn.
One of those intruders is said to have fired the fatal shot as Orebaugh “was running toward the back of his house.”
And still another witness told investigators the robbery planned that night targeted firearms believed to be in the house.
Two years later, Craig said he remained hopeful those responsible for the tragedy will eventually be held accountable – if the right people, motivated by their conscience or some other factor, come forward.
“In this case, I’ve always believed there are some individuals that either were involved to some small extent and just haven’t come forward,” he said. “Or (they) were present, before or during, and haven’t provided any account, or a truthful account of what happened.”
Contact news reporter Douglas Walker at (765) 213-5851. Follow him on Twitter: @DouglasWalkerSP.
Contact Keith Roysdon at 765-213-5828 and follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
Police seeking information
Anyone with information about the death of Christian Orebaugh can contact the investigations division of the Muncie Police Department at 765-747-4867
About Cold Case: Muncie
Debuting in 2010,Cold Case: Muncie is a recurring Star Press seriesthat re-examines unsolved murders — some notable, some forgotten except to the family and friends of the victims — from the Muncie area over the past several decades.
The series, by Douglas Walker and Keith Roysdon, won the award for best news series in 2011 from the Indiana Society of Professional Journalists. An initial cold case story, marking the 25th anniversary of theWestside Park murders, won the 2011 Kent Cooper Award from the Indiana Associated Press.
