Authorities announced Friday that an Indianapolis man had been charged with murder in the killings of two women whose bodies were found days apart and less than 150 yards from each other.
David Hiner, 30, has been charged with killing 58-year-old Shannon Lassere, whose body was found in a parking lot Jan. 27, and 52-year-old Marianne Weis, who was found Feb. 1 in a nearby alley, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office said Friday in a news conference and press release.
Authorities had previously noted the similarities in the killings and asked for the public’s help in gathering information about the crimes and the victims.
Lassere’s friends and family held a memorial for her on Feb. 4 at the parking lot where she was found.
“She was a kind, loving spirit,” her friend Stephannie Feggans told WTHR-TV in Indianapolis, alongside Angela Johnson. The women wore matching T-shirts featuring a picture of the three friends with the caption “Golden Girls Forever.”
Weis’ older sister told WTHR that she was a “beautiful soul.”
“Our Mari was a beautiful soul who loved to dance and sing,” the sister said. “She lived with a lot of pain, for reasons we’ll keep private. We don’t know much about what happened yet, but seeing her light dimmed this way is devastating.”
Both women were found face down with their pants pulled to their knees, which investigators said appeared to be a result of being dragged by their arms, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by HuffPost. Lassere’s purse was next to her body, investigators said, and didn’t appear to be missing any items. Weis’ personal belongings were found near her body as well, they said.
Lassere’s son told investigators that the night before her body was found, he last saw her about 10:30 p.m., when she left his home, possibly to walk to a gas station nearby, according to the affidavit. Her body was discovered about a quarter mile from her son’s home.
The pathologist who performed Lassere’s autopsy said she suffered “two large sharp force injuries — one on each side of [her] neck.” The same pathologist conducted Weis’ autopsy and found “multiple sharp force injuries” to her neck and multiple injuries to her hands that he said were “consistent with defensive wounds.” Both deaths were ruled homicides due to the multiple sharp force injuries.
Surveillance video captured Weis leaving a pub about 7:45 p.m. with a Black man and later walking with him outside, according to the affidavit. Police officers patrolling the area said they recognized the man as Hiner, who lived in an apartment complex near where both bodies were found, based on screenshots of the surveillance footage, investigators said. They also reported that he had a splint and a bandaged ring finger.
Hiner denied knowing or being with either victim, according to the affidavit.
When they searched his home, investigators said, they found a pair of jeans that allegedly matched those seen in the video soaking in a bucket of bleach in the bathtub. A pair of Nike shoes in Hiner’s room appeared to have dried blood on them, which authorities claim linked Hiner to Weis and Lassere based on preliminary tests.
Investigators initially arrested Hiner for violating probation in another county, authorities said Friday. It is unclear whether he has an attorney to speak on his behalf.
An initial hearing is scheduled for Feb. 13, when Hiner will have an opportunity to formally enter a plea.
A friend posted a tribute on Weis’ Facebook page, saying that she “did not deserve to go out this way.”
“Anybody who knew you knows what a true angel you are and now you have your wings,” the friend wrote.
