Prosecutors seek death penalty against dad accused of holding gun to wife’s head and forcing her to ‘choose between’ herself and their son before gunning her down at Speedway gas station

Joshua Alexander Farmer (Fishers Police Dept.) and Kaylah Ann Farmer (currentobituary.com)

Joshua Alexander Farmer (Fishers Police Dept.) and Kaylah Ann Farmer (currentobituary.com)

Prosecutors in Indiana formally announced their intention to seek the death penalty against a 32-year-old man accused of stalking and killing his 33-year-old ex-wife, shooting her more than a dozen times when she stopped at a gas station pump in June, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show.

In a new court filing, the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office alleges that Joshua Alexander Farmer gunned down Kaylah Farmer to prevent her from testifying against him in a spate of investigations into alleged domestic violence against her and their children.

“The victim of the murder was listed by the state or known by the defendant to be a witness against the defendant and the defendant committed the murder with the intent to prevent the person from testifying,” prosecutors wrote in the filing, according to a copy of the document obtained by Indianapolis CBS affiliate WXIN.

Farmer, who police say “completely emptied” his gun during the attack, was taken into custody last month and charged with murder, stalking while armed with a deadly weapon, criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon, and unlawful carrying of a handgun.

Hamilton County Prosecutor Greg Garrison on Wednesday said he determined that the death penalty was appropriate in the case against Farmer after an exhaustive analysis of the relevant facts.

“It was my intention to encourage an in-depth investigation by Hamilton County police agencies, and that has been accomplished,” Garrison said, according to The Herald Bulletin.

According to a press release from the Fishers Police Department, officers at about 5 p.m. on June 28 responded to a call regarding a shooting at the Speedway gas station located near 116th Street and Allisonville Road, which is about 20 miles northeast of Indianapolis. Upon arriving at the scene, first responders said they located an adult female victim — later identified as Kaylah Ann Farmer — who appeared to have suffered multiple gunshot wounds while seated in a red Chrysler van. She was pronounced dead on the scene.

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