FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – One of two people involved in Allen County’s first homicide of 2026 pleaded guilty on Monday.
Johnny Rowe, 44, will face 1 to 6 years in prison at his sentencing after pleading guilty to assisting a criminal in connection with a January killing. A murder charge and a robbery charge against him will be dismissed if a judge accepts his plea deal at his sentencing on August 6.
Johnny Rowe, and Donte Fitzpatrick, 38, were both initially charged with felony murder and attempted robbery for their alleged role in the crime at a Fort Wayne home that led to the killing of 31-year-old Khiry Van Wilkens.
Wilkens – from Indianapolis – drove up to Fort Wayne after a friend invited him to a home to watch basketball and gamble. Wilkens left the home on California Avenue twice, and according to the witness, must have left the front door unlocked when he came back…