Indianapolis, IN – A second arrest has been made in connection with a 2023 Indianapolis homicide that investigators now believe was part of an alleged murder-for-hire plot, according to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD), officers responded in July 2023 to a home in the 8600 block of Orchard Grove Lane after receiving a report of a person shot. Officers found Erica Pedroza inside a bedroom suffering from a gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said homicide detectives launched an investigation immediately. In November 2024, detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Pedroza’s husband, Seth Smith-Robinson, who allegedly played a role in her death. Authorities said he was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service in Nashville, Tennessee, two days after the warrant was issued and remains in the Marion County Jail awaiting trial.
According to IMPD, detectives later received information suggesting the homicide may have been carried out as a murder-for-hire. Investigators spent several months reviewing evidence, reexamining case files, and traveling to Arkansas to interview Dalvin Carter, who had been identified as a possible suspect.
Police said a follow-up interview in May 2026 provided investigators with information that led prosecutors to seek additional charges. On July 21, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office issued an arrest warrant charging Carter with felony murder and robbery.
Authorities said Carter is currently in custody in Arkansas and is expected to be extradited to Indianapolis to face the charges.
IMPD credited the arrest to the persistence of homicide detectives and a community tip that helped move the investigation forward. Officials emphasized that the charges are allegations, and Carter is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
