Man found guilty of felony murder in Saint Marys meth homicide
- Jamie Duffy
- Jul 11
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 16
ALLEN COUNTY, Ind. --Most defense attorneys loathe the idea of putting their client on the stand.
It’s risky and unpredictable.
But Royal Davis, Jr., 38, on trial for felony murder, attempted robbery, and battery did not go down without a fight.
He took the stand on the last day of his trial and told his story, even though it would have been difficult to overcome a felony murder charge when you flat out admit you were there when the homicide occurred.
For further reading:
https://www.theprobablecause.com/post/murder-trial-for-2023-saint-marys-avenue-homicide-up-this-week
Friday, after the full four-day trial, Davis was found guilty of those charges and the gun enhancement that can add up to 20 years to a sentence. Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 8.
Deputy prosecutor Jamie Groves, representing the state with deputy prosecutor James Posey, said Davis had already pleaded guilty to resisting law enforcement.
Davis, his then-girlfriend Jessica Fuentes, 31, Robert Ward and a woman named “Secret” were all about buying some methamphetamine Sept. 14, 2023. “Ro Ward,” whose name was found on Davis’s cell phone - one of four he maintained - was the one who set up the deal with Gilbert.
They all met up at a downtown Shell station and then drove to the studio apartment Davis shared with Fuentes. “Ro” handed the Walmart bag containing the “drugs” to Jessica.
“This is fake!” Jessica shouted, according to Davis. “I said what the f—k is this? She said ‘salt’.”
“Aw, hell no,” Secret chimed in, Davis testified. “I asked Robert Ward to get a hold of this guy and make it right.”
That goal took them to Shangri-La West where Gilbert was partying, but slipped out with a friend homicide detective Darrin Strayer told the court was never identified. Under “Ro’s” direction, the group drove to Gilbert’s father’s place at 2022 Saint Marys Ave, Davis testified.
By this time, Davis was on his Moped while the others arrived in Davis’s truck. He drove the Moped, he said, because he had a new engine in it. Davis had money and had a job. He’s the one who paid for the “salt" and wanted his $500 back.
Gilbert apparently acted like he was going to give that money back and let Davis and Fuentes inside the home around 1:20 a.m. Gilbert's father and father’s girlfriend were asleep on the couch.
According to Davis, Gilbert started digging into a recliner and that made Davis nervous. He said he didn’t know the guy and couldn’t tell if he was going for a gun.
Davis took his .45 caliber handgun that “never left his hip” and “whacked” Gilbert on the head so hard that Gilbert collapsed on the floor. But Davis dropped his gun and by this time, Gilbert’s dad, Steve, was awake and grabbed it, Davis said.
Davis got scared and ran toward the kitchen and the back door and fell because he was pretty sure he’d been shot. Jessica apparently fired her pretty pink 9mm Davis bought for her and wounded Steve Gilbert in the leg.
Davis said Fuentes left the room firing that gun and doing “one of those,” a move he demonstrated as he sat in the box, moving his right arm back to show she shot backwards as she fled the living room. Travis GIlbert came to and went to the back door where he was shot, a probable cause affidavit stated.
Jessica Fuentes, by the way, took a plea deal in March of last year and is due to be sentenced July 25. She is said to have dropped her pink handgun in the backyard before Davis and Fuentes fled the scene.
Davis swore he never shot a gun the entire time he was there, but got worried once they left and started checking the news.
“One shot, one dead on Saint Marys,” the news bulletin read on his cell phone. It made him think they had to leave the apartment.
“I was scared for me and my girlfriend. She had just shot and killed somebody.” They took an Uber to his friend, Tank’s, house, who also lived on Saint Marys Avenue. Tank told him to get an attorney.
One thing these trials prove is the dangers of the drug world. Davis told the jury that yes, he did use the drugs, but wasn’t as hooked on them as Jessica.
Meth comes across the border from Mexico, so cheap it’s not worth cooking up your own. At least, that’s been the case for several years now.
It’s a world that’s no doubt an eye-opener for the mostly white, older jurors who typically fill Allen County’s jury box. Davis looked presentable in a nice blue business shirt and tie, but told a tale they’ve probably only watched on Netflix or one of the true crime shows.
Whether they were entertained or not, Davis himself put Allen County criminal justice system through some interesting twists and turns. Several times he tried to dump his public defenders, appealing to Superior Court Judge Fran Gull as almost his personal judicial confidante. At one point, he went pro se, meaning he decided to handle his own defense.
Davis demanded funds to pay for a private investigator and was granted his request. Some might say Royal Davis, Jr. was a royal pain in the butt and they did so out of court.
Getting ready for closing arguments, Gull reminded Groves and Posey and defense attorneys Tim Stucky and Skip Campbell that witness testimony in court is considered the truth. That made what Davis said a truthful account whether the jury believed it or not
But such is the Constitution and the American way that he did get a fair trial. He will no doubt spend years working on an appeal and petitions to reduce his sentence.
It's a cautionary tale, a warning that if you’re going to do drugs, don’t team up with an unknown. If you'd been doing meth, wouldn't you already have a trustworthy contact or is that just being logical?
And if you’re there when someone is killed and, in the midst of committing a crime like battery or arson, that makes you guilty, too. A sentence for felony murder runs the same as murder; 45 to 65 years.
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