By STEVEN MURREY
Managing Editor
smurrey@cherryroad.com
The trial of Carl Roy Webb Boards II, charged with the murder of Elwood police officer Noah Shahnavaz, will remain in Madison County, Madison Circuit Court Division 3 Judge Andrew Hopper ruled last Friday.
Lawyers for Boards had requested a change of venue, citing intense media coverage of the case. Hopper stated that the jury for the trial will be selected from Delaware County.
The trial is set to begin in September 2025, delayed from the initial start date of January 13, 2025, due to jury questionnaires that could not be finalized until a competency hearing was concluded. Hopper ruled that Boards was competent to stand trial in April of this year, after three doctors testified that Boards could understand the charges against him and assist his lawyers in his defense.
During a two-hour interview with Boards in March, Dr. Jeff Huttinger stated that Boards “reacted appropriately” during the evaluation.
Dr. Andrew Skinner conducted a comprehensive evaluation of Boards’ mental capacity and his ability to recognize reality. Skinner noted that Boards expressed some concern about his public defenders, believing they were working against him.
A third doctor, Dr. Rebecca Mueller, echoed the sentiments of the other two doctors and affirmed that Boards demonstrated an understanding of reality.
Last month, Hopper ruled that Boards would be housed in a single cell. Defense attorney Lemuel Stigler asked the court to house Boards by himself so other inmates could not access his documents or conferences with his lawyers. Stigler also cited lockdowns at Miami Valley Correctional Facility, which he claimed prevented Boards from meeting or communicating with his lawyers.
Boards will stand trial on the murder charge, as well as two counts of resisting law enforcement, unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and being a habitual offender. Prosecutor Rodney Cummings is seeking the death penalty.
Boards is accused of fatally shooting Shahnavaz, 24, through the windshield of his police vehicle during a traffic stop on July 31, 2022.
Emergency responders attempted life-saving measures and transported him to Ascension St. Mercy, before he was later flown to Indianapolis where he succumbed to his wounds.
According to court documents, Shahnavaz had radioed in the license plate number and stated that the suspect had a gun. State Police said Boards got out of his Buick and fired multiple rounds at Shahnavaz, who was hit multiple times. Police found 36 bullet casings believed to be from Boards’ gun. Police said Boards then took off in the Buick.
Approximately thirty minutes later, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department attempted to initiate a traffic stop on State Road 37. The officers deployed a tire deflation device in the area of State Road 37 and 146th Street, but the Buick continued to Interstate 69.
Officers with the Fishers Police Department then used their vehicles to stop the Buick, and on the second attempt, the vehicle hit a median and came to a stop. Boards was then arrested.
At the time of his arrest, officers retrieved a loaded handgun and a rifle with a high-capacity magazine.
