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GOSHEN — A 22-year-old man has admitted to pulling the trigger in a fatal Goshen shooting.
Daniel L. Heflin, Goshen, pleaded guilty in Elkhart Circuit Court Tuesday to murder and attempted murder. He also admitted to committing those offenses as part of a criminal gang. The terms of his plea deal call for a 90-year sentence in the Indiana Department of Correction.
Heflin is due to be sentenced Sept. 6. His trial was set to begin Monday in Circuit Court.
The shooting took place March 22 northwest of downtown. Heflin fired shots at a Dodge truck. One of the occupants, John Staub, 26, Goshen, suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the chest. Another occupant, David Paul Goble, had a leg wound.
According to police, the shooting resulted from an earlier dispute between Goble and William Terry, 25, Goshen. Terry was sentenced last month to 25 years in prison on a Class A felony count of conspiracy to commit murder.
Two accomplices have also been sentenced for their roles in the shooting after pleading guilty to Class C felony counts of assisting a criminal.
Elisa Horton, 22, Goshen, will serve four years in the Department of Correction. Dustin Saylor, 22, Goshen, was sentenced to two years in prison. He was also due to spend two years on work release if found to be eligible for that program, followed by two years on probation.
The criminal gang sentence enhancement against Heflin doubles his time behind bars. Heflin’s plea deal calls for 45 years in prison on the murder and attempted murder charges, plus 45 years on the gang sentence.
According to prosecutors, a defendant doesn’t need to be a formal member of a gang for the sentence enhancement to apply. Under state law, “criminal gang” can be used to describe three or more people who have a common scheme to commit a felony, an act that would be a felony if committed by an adult, or a battery.
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Related Photos
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A Goshen police officer questions the occupants of a pickup truck that was stopped by the officer at the intersection of Indiana, Lincoln and Dewey avenues March 22, 2012. One man found in the pickup, John E. Staub, 26, Goshen, had been fatally shot. ROGER SCHNEIDER | The Goshen News
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Daniel Heflin
Goshen man pleads guilty to murder
Daniel Heflin receives 90 years in prison for killing John Staub
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