INDIANAPOLIS — Oct. 10, 2025 — A Marion County judge on Friday resentenced Elliahs Dorsey, the man convicted in the 2020 killing of Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Officer Breann Leath, increasing his penalty for criminal confinement but ordering it to run at the same time as his existing sentence—resulting in no additional jail time.
Dorsey, previously found guilty but mentally ill on six counts stemming from the April 2020 shooting, was resentenced to 16 years for Level 3 felony criminal confinement for holding Ayesha Brown hostage. The upgraded conviction replaces a lower-level confinement felony that had carried a 2½-year term under former Judge Mark Stoner.
The court kept the confinement term concurrent with Dorsey’s other sentences, including 40 years (15 suspended) for the attempted murder of Brown—meaning 25 years to serve followed by 15 years of probation with psychiatric evaluations and mental-health supervision. Dorsey previously received time served on a reckless homicide count related to Leath’s death and for three counts of criminal recklessness for firing through a door
toward officers, credits reflecting roughly four years already spent in jail.
Case background
- Date of incident: April 2020
- Victims: IMPD Officer Breann Leath (killed); Ayesha Brown (shot and held)
- Findings: Guilty but mentally ill on six charges, including attempted murder, reckless homicide (non-vehicle), three counts of criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon, and criminal confinement while armed.
Defense attorney Ray Casanova said the outcome recognizes Dorsey’s mental illness and called the sentence “appropriate,” noting Dorsey has had contact with social workers in custody but has not yet received specific treatment within the Department of Correction.
Reactions
- Prosecutors: Sought an aggravated term to run consecutively, arguing additional time was warranted to reflect the gravity of the crimes.
- Fraternal Order of Police: President Rick Snyder criticized the choice to keep sentences concurrent, saying the judge had the option to impose consecutive time and that the decision “shortchanged” accountability.
- Leath family: Jennifer Leath, Breann’s mother, welcomed the upgraded 16-year confinement sentence but expressed disappointment that it will not extend Dorsey’s total incarceration, saying the result shows “room for improvement in our judicial system.”
What’s next
Dorsey’s convictions and terms remain intact with the upgraded confinement count now set at the statutory maximum for a Level 3 felony. Because the terms run together, his overall time to serve does not change. Any further changes would likely come through additional appeals or post-conviction relief proceedings.
