A murderer and a rapist will remain behind bars after Attorney General Todd Rokita’s legal team secured unanimous victories at the Indiana Court of Appeals, upholding lengthy sentences in two brutal violent crime cases.

“Our office works tirelessly to keep Hoosiers safe from the worst of the worst—from white-collar fraud to cold-blooded killers,” said Attorney General Todd Rokita. “This rapist and this murderer don’t deserve to walk free, and I’m proud that the appellate court agreed with our arguments to keep them locked up and out of our communities for good.”

Nashawn Stephens was sentenced to 75 years in prison for the 2022 murder of Tychius Derrickson in Mishawaka. Stephens and an accomplice lured Derrickson to an apartment under false pretenses, brutally beat him, dragged him outside, and shot him three times. Stephens claimed insufficient evidence—no eyewitness, no confession, no gun. The Court of Appeals rejected his appeal, finding overwhelming circumstantial evidence—including witness testimony, timing, physical evidence, and Stephens’s post-crime behavior—sufficient to support the jury’s guilty verdict.

In a separate case, Jorge Juarez Lopez was sentenced to 60 years for breaking into a 17-year-old victim’s home in 2023, holding a knife to her throat, raping her, and threatening to kill her and her sister if she reported the assault. Lopez was convicted of two counts of Level 1 felony rape, two counts of Level 5 felony intimidation, and Class A misdemeanor counterfeit government-issued identification. He argued on appeal that the trial court should have granted a mistrial after the victim had an emotional outburst in court. The Court of Appeals upheld the denial of the mistrial, affirming that the trial judge’s strong admonition to the jury cured any potential prejudice.

The Attorney General’s Appeals Division represented the State in both cases. Both rulings were unanimous and reinforce Indiana’s commitment to justice for victims of violent crime.

GoGo Travel Consulting LLC is judicially dissolved

In a significant victory for consumer protection, Attorney General Todd Rokita announced that the State of Indiana has won a judgment against GoGo Travel Consulting LLC, a Jasper-based travel company involved in fraudulent timeshare transactions. The judgment includes the judicial dissolution of the company, effectively ending its operations.

The lawsuit, initially filed by Attorney General Rokita through the Homeowner Protection Unit (HPU) of the Consumer Protection Division, found that GoGo Travel Consulting LLC engaged in illegal deceptive practices, including identity theft and fraudulent timeshare transactions. The company falsely represented itself by using the identity of an Indiana-licensed real estate broker without his knowledge or consent, deceiving consumers into believing they were engaging with a legitimate travel consulting service.

“This judgment is one more example of our ongoing efforts to protect Hoosiers from fraudulent schemes,” said Attorney General Rokita. “We will continue to hold accountable those who engage in these kinds of illegal activities. We encourage anyone who believes they have been a victim of timeshare fraud to contact our office immediately.”

The HPU’s investigation revealed that the phone number utilized by GoGo Travel, which was spoofed to appear as a number originating from southern Indiana, was linked to two Mexican nationals living in the Mexican city of Puerto Vallarta. These individuals were alleged conspirators in the fraudulent scheme.

In addition to the judicial dissolution, the HPU issued two website host takedown notices to ensure that GoGo Travel’s website was inoperable and unable to be used in furtherance of the scam. This action was taken to prevent the company from continuing to deceive consumers online.

Attorney General Rokita thanked HPU Section Chief Chase Haller and HPU Investigator Molly Jeffords for their work on this case.

The Attorney General’s office is also raising awareness about the broader issue of timeshare fraud, which is often linked to organized crime. According to a joint notice by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), timeshare fraud schemes are frequently perpetrated by Mexico-based transnational criminal organizations. These organizations use the proceeds from such fraud to fund other criminal activities, including drug trafficking and human trafficking.

“Older adults are particularly vulnerable to timeshare scams, which often involve high-pressure sales tactics and bogus claims of having ready buyers for timeshare properties,” Attorney General Rokita added. “Victims are typically asked to pay upfront fees for supposed taxes or closing costs, only to find that the promised transactions never occur.

Hoosiers are encouraged to contact the Office of the Attorney General about any suspected scams or scam attempts. Consumers may file a complaint by visiting indianaconsumer.com or calling 1-800-382-5516.