Documents detail break in decade old Kokomo cold case

by: Matt Christy

Posted: Mar 6, 2023 / 06:41 PM EST

Updated: Mar 7, 2023 / 12:14 PM EST

KOKOMO, Ind. — For more than 10 years the alleged home invasion killing of 21-year-old Destiny Renee Pittman has remained unsolved without a single suspect behind bars. But last week, police announced the surprise arrest of two men in connection to the cold case murder.

Newly released documents detail the break in the case that led to investigators arresting 32-year-old Joey McCartney and 36-year-old Jesse McCartney for their alleged role in the shooting death of Destiny Pittman.

According to the documents, the alleged killers who forced their way into the James Drive home on Feb. 7, 2013, may have been looking to rob Pittman and her boyfriend of marijuana and cash gained from selling weed.

The documents also detail that a roommate who was hiding in the home at the time of the shooting told police that she thought the suspects were Black, despite not having seen them.

Documents reveal that on Feb. 7, 2013, Pittman was gunned down at her home in the 800 block of James Drive after two unknown armed suspects forced their way into the house. Pittman's boyfriend and a roommate were also inside the home and told police they hid after hearing Pittman step out into the hallway to confront the intruders and be gunned down.

Pittman's body was found laying in the hallway with a single gunshot wound in her chest. A single .40 caliber shell casing was recovered from the scene, with police stating that the bullet passed through Pittman before striking a wall at the end of the hall.

For 10 years, police had little to go on while searching for her killers. Neither the boyfriend nor the roommate stated to see any part of the intruders beyond their shadows and a single shoe.

"Where the f*** is it?" the home invaders reportedly shouted after shooting Pittman.

Pittman's boyfriend reportedly admitted to police that he sold marijuana and had taken a bag containing weed and over $2,000 in cash to another house just days prior to the home invasion. Both the boyfriend and the roommate also admitted to police that Pittmann too dabbled in selling weed, but hadn't as much since inheriting money.

A break in the case came on Dec. 5, 2022, when police received a voicemail from someone who claimed to have information about the death of Pittman. According to the court documents, this informant claimed to have been with the McCartneys on the night Pittman was murdered and had been sitting in Jesse McCartney's Jeep outside the James Drive home when she was killed.

The informant claimed Jesse and Joey said they were "running an errand" and that the informant tagged along. After the McCartneys went into the James Drive home, the information heard a gunshot and saw both men come running out of the house.

Jesse reportedly was sweating heavily and had a large gallon size bag of marijuana and a bunch of cash in his hand, according to the informant.

The informant reportedly described a gun that Jesse owned and told police that Jesse sold his handgun and his Jeep less than six months after the shooting.

Jesse also reportedly drove the informant back by the James Drive house the following day and described police tape being up around the home.

The informant told police the information had weighed on them for a long time and that they decided to finally come forward because there had been no break in the case. The informant also said they were scared of Jesse McCartney.

After the interview, police said the informant took them to the house where he’d witnessed the McCartneys come running out after hearing a gunshot. It was the home on James Drive in Kokomo where Pittman was killed.

Documents detail that police spoke to Pittman's boyfriend again after these new revelations and asked if Pittman had her own stash of weed that she dealt. The boyfriend allegedly told police that Pittman did have her own stash of marijuana that she sold and that it would have been in the home at the time of the shooting.

Police showed the boyfriend photographs of Joey and Jesse McCartney with the boyfriend reportedly stating that Joey looked familiar and may have been at the James Drive home in the company of another known associate at some point.

Police also reported speaking to Pittman's roommate again. Police asked why the roommate had originally told investigators that she thought the home invaders were Black. Despite not seeing the invaders, the roommate told police she assumed they were Black because of the "urbanness" of their voices.

According to the documents, police asked if the suspects could have been white and the roommate agreed they could have been.

The informant reportedly informed police about Jesse McCartney changing his phone number and how he still lived in Kokomo on Monroe Street. They also told police that Joey McCartney now lived in Kentucky.

The U.S. Marshals helped assist in the arrest of the McCartneys.

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