He was only 14 at the time of the crime, and part of a gang called Mickey Cobra Nation (MCN). In June of this year, Larry had been found guilty of murder among other offences following the killing of 26-year-old Dayla Swain, who prosecutors said was shot on 2 February 2025 outside a nightclub. 

Swain had been blasted during what prosecutors described as a 'botched hit' on a witness to another homicide, according to ABC News. Prosecutors said this related to the murder of a 15-year-old that occurred in 2023 during an alleged attempted armed robbery. It was alleged that the murder had prompted Larry and co-defendant Rashawn Samuels to then conspire with fellow gang members to target a witness. Dayla Swain, 26, was killed in the shooting (Anderson Memorial Park Cemetery and Funeral Needs) Swain was not the intended target and was caught in the crossfire of the planned attack outside of Sonny Ray's nightclub in Anderson. According to Fox 59, surveillance footage showed Swain's legs were accidentally run over by a truck fleeing the scene as gunshots rang out. 

When police arrived at around 3am, Swain was suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. She was transported to Community Hospital, where she sadly died. According to CBS4, her family described her as a 'phenomenal mother, sister, daughter and friend'. 

Another woman was wounded in the shooting, while a third woman was injured after being hit by a car that was fleeing the scene. The shooting took place at Sonny Ray's in Anderson last year (Google Maps) Following the shooting, Larry fled to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and his parents filed a missing person's report. He eventually turned himself in to police on 2 March 2025. 

According to WRTV, prosecutors highlighted Instagram and Snapchat conversations between Larry and Samuels, in which they discussed weapons, surveilling the bar, and how they would avoid being identified by security cameras. Larry was found guilty of murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, criminal organisation activity and dangerous possession of a firearm. 

At sentencing, Judge David Happe imposed a sentence on Larry of 50 years for murder, alongside an additional 50 years for the Criminal Organization Enhancement, equating to a sentence of 100 years to be served at the Indiana Department of Correction. Jo'Majze Larry (Madison County Jail) Larry's co-defendant, Rashawn Samuels, aged 19, was sentenced to 125 years in prison, consisting of 62 and a half years for Swain's murder and another 62 and a half years for the criminal organisation enhancement charge. 

In a statement, prosecutors said: "Indiana law recognises that criminal organisations can pose a greater threat to public safety because they coordinate criminal activity, recruit others to participate in crime, and often commit offences for financial gain or to further the goals of the organisation."

Larry could seek judicial review of century-long jail term 

Because Larry was under the age of 18 at the time of the incident, Indiana state law provides an opportunity for him to seek a judicial review of his sentence without the consent of the prosecuting attorney after he has served at least 20 years of his sentence. 

The Madison County Prosecutor's Office states: "It is important to note that this statute does not automatically reduce or shorten the defendant's sentence, nor does it guarantee release after 20 years. Rather, it simply permits the defendant to ask the sentencing court to consider modifying the sentence.

"At any such hearing, the prosecutor's office has the opportunity to oppose the request, victims and their families have the right to be notified and heard, and the judge retains complete discretion to grant or deny the petition after considering all relevant facts and circumstances." Rashawn Samuels was another gang member and co-conspirator (Madison County Jail / Fox 59)

Why minors can be sentenced to life in prison in the US 

The US is the only country in the world where minors can be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. It wasn't until 2005 when a ban was put in place on executing people under the age of 18 in the States, though children as young as eight can still be charged as an adult, held in an adult jail, and sentenced to extreme sentences in an adult prison, according to the Equal Justice Initiative. 

It wasn't always this way, however. In as early as 1899, US jurisdictions created the world’s first juvenile courts, which held children less culpable for their crimes and kept them away from adult prisons.

But within decades, these courts found themselves under attack by prosecutors and others who feared they were too lenient on underage murderers. 

The power of juvenile court judges was greatly reduced in the 1980s-90s, JSTOR Daily reports, and this lead to thousands of teenagers to receive life sentences - including Cyntoia Brown, a 16-year-old who was given a life sentence for the murder of a man she claims she killed in self defence after being sexually assaulted and forced into prostitution.