Deshawndre Brown’s guilty plea resolves his prosecution, but murder and robbery cases against two other defendants remain pending.
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — One of three defendants charged after a fatal shooting outside an Evansville movie theater has been sentenced to 45 years in prison, closing his part of the case while separate prosecutions against two other young men move toward trials.
Deshawndre Brown, 19, was sentenced Monday after pleading guilty in October to murder and Level 2 felony robbery in the death of 23-year-old Ethan Stenftenagel. Magistrate Ryan Reed imposed a 45-year sentence for murder and a 16-year sentence for robbery, with the terms to run concurrently. Brown therefore faces an effective prison term of 45 years.
The sentence is the first completed prosecution stemming from the April 14 shooting in the AMC theater parking lot on Pearl Drive. Kardae Langley, 19, and Pierce Butler, 18, also were arrested and charged in connection with Stenftenagel’s death. Their cases have not been resolved, and both continue to face court proceedings on allegations that remain to be proven.
Authorities have said the encounter was connected to a planned robbery. Investigators alleged that the three defendants intended to take marijuana-related vaping products from Stenftenagel and that an argument developed before gunfire erupted. Reporting based on the case affidavit identified Brown as the shooter. Brown later admitted guilt through a plea agreement rather than proceeding to trial.
Under that agreement, Brown pleaded guilty to one murder count and one robbery count. Earlier reporting on the agreement said additional counts against him would be dismissed in exchange for the pleas. His sentencing on Monday established the punishment for the charges to which he admitted guilt and separated his legal position from those of Langley and Butler, whose cases remain open.
The investigation began after Vanderburgh County sheriff’s deputies and Evansville police officers were called to the theater parking lot at about 6:40 p.m. April 14. Callers reported hearing shots and said a vehicle had rolled down a wooded embankment near the edge of the parking area.
Responding officers found a black Dodge Durango down the embankment and discovered Stenftenagel inside. He had been shot and was pronounced dead at the scene despite efforts to help him. Investigators also recovered spent cartridge casings from the area where the shooting occurred. The sheriff’s office said theater surveillance video gave detectives a detailed view of the events leading up to the shooting.
The arrests unfolded over the following day. Langley was taken into custody within hours of the shooting. Brown was later located at a hotel in St. Louis and arrested April 15 by U.S. marshals after investigators tracked him there. Butler was arrested that evening after Evansville police SWAT officers executed a search warrant at a residence on South Kentucky Avenue.
Brown’s guilty plea in October removed the possibility of a trial in his case and led directly to Monday’s sentencing. His appearance was conducted by video. Members of Stenftenagel’s family criticized both the length of the sentence and Brown’s conduct during the hearing, saying they had hoped to see a stronger expression of responsibility for the killing.
The legal focus now shifts to the remaining defendants. Langley is scheduled to stand trial in December, according to current court reporting. Butler is scheduled for trial in February. Both defendants continue to face allegations connected to the same confrontation, but Brown’s guilty plea does not establish their guilt.
The two pending cases could determine the remaining criminal responsibility assigned in Stenftenagel’s death. Until those proceedings are completed or resolved through other court action, Brown is the only one of the three defendants whose case has ended with a conviction and prison sentence.
Author note: Last updated November 3, 2026.