Guilty Plea And Sentencing In State v. William A. Wills

Boone County Prosecutor Kent Eastwood announces that William A. Wills, 31, of Indianapolis has pleaded guilty to Dealing in a Controlled Substance Resulting in Death, a Level 1 felony. The charge arises from the death of Travis M. Barnes, who was found deceased in his Boone County residence on September 2, 2023. An autopsy determined that Barnes died as a result of combined intoxication of alprazolam, fentanyl, and morphine. The investigation was led by Detective Eric Adams of the Lebanon Police Department, assigned to the Hamilton/Boone County Drug Task Force. During the investigation, investigators recovered messages from Barnes’s phone indicating that he had arranged to purchase illegal controlled substances from William A. Wills on September 1, 2023, the day before his death. As the investigation continued, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Wills’s residence in Indianapolis, where investigators located fentanyl inside the apartment. Wills was subsequently interviewed and admitted to dealing heroin and fentanyl and further admitted to selling heroin to Barnes on September 1, 2023.

After pleading guilty pursuant to an agreement, Wills was sentenced to a term of 26 years executed, with 22 years executed in the Indiana Department of Correction and 4 years executed through Boone County Community Corrections Work Release. “Let this case serve as a clear warning: if you deal illegal drugs in this community and it results in someone’s death, we will find you, we will prosecute you, and you will spend decades in prison,” said Prosecutor Kent Eastwood. “Those who take this risk will face real and severe consequences.” The Boone County Prosecutor’s Office commends Detective Eric Adams, the Lebanon Police Department, the Boone County Drug Task Force, the Whitestown Metropolitan Police Department and the IMPD Metro Drug Task Force for their diligent work and assistance in bringing this case to justice.