Investigators say a yearlong money trail, a rented SUV and evidence from two homes tied the case to an unpaid marijuana debt.
WESTFIELD, IN — Police in the Indianapolis suburb of Westfield say a 47-year-old poker player and real estate investor was shot to death in his home this month by a man who allegedly owed him thousands of dollars, turning what first appeared to be an isolated homicide into a case built around debt, surveillance footage and digital records.
James Matthew “Matt” Lushin was found dead March 12 inside his home in the 3900 block of Westfield Road after officers were called at 7:24 p.m. to help medics on a report of a person down. Ronald Dewayne Brown Jr., 50, of Indianapolis was arrested March 27 and now faces a murder charge and a firearm enhancement allegation. Authorities say the case matters beyond the shock of a killing in a city that officials said had not seen a homicide in about seven years. Prosecutors and police say the investigation uncovered allegations of a marijuana distribution arrangement, a large unpaid debt and evidence suggesting the killing was planned rather than sudden.
Westfield officers entered Lushin’s house on the night of March 12 and found him dead at the scene with what police first described as trauma. The Hamilton County Coroner’s Office later determined that Lushin had been shot seven times. By the time police publicly identified the victim, Lushin was already being remembered in two different worlds: as a Westfield businessman involved in real estate investment and as a known player on the tournament poker circuit. His obituary described him as a key partner with FLF Property and a widely respected figure in poker who traveled internationally for events. Investigators say the case quickly widened after evidence inside the home pointed to activity beyond gambling. According to authorities, officers found containers of suspected marijuana in the residence, along with records tied to gambling wins and losses. As detectives began piecing together Lushin’s last days, they also reviewed neighborhood video and found a black Dodge Durango that they say repeatedly moved around the property on the day of the killing.
Police later said that SUV had been rented from Indianapolis International Airport and that the rental led them to Brown. At a March 30 news conference, Westfield Police Chief Shawn Keen said detectives pressed through interviews, evidence processing and search warrants to build probable cause. Investigators say witnesses who knew both men told police Brown and Lushin had played in local cash games, including at the Carmel VFW, and had an additional relationship tied to marijuana sales. Those witnesses told officers Brown had been receiving marijuana from Lushin on the front and owed him substantial money. One witness put the amount of product involved at about $50,000. Another said Brown had been paying Lushin back over time. Detectives traced 16 Cash App payments from Brown to Lushin totaling $17,900 from January 2025 into March 2026, then noted that the payments stopped after March 5. Investigators also said the two men communicated on the encrypted Signal app, a detail that placed them in regular contact before the killing but left open questions about what they discussed in the final days.
The evidence described by police and prosecutors extends well past the money trail. Authorities say video showed the Durango backing into Lushin’s driveway March 12 and circling the area. They also said parts of the vehicle’s license plate appeared to be concealed during some of its movements that day. According to the probable cause affidavit summarized by local officials and news outlets, investigators concluded the timing of the rental strongly suggested the SUV was obtained for the crime itself. When police later searched a residence near the 3300 block of Butler Avenue in Indianapolis, where cellphone data helped place Brown, they reported finding a Glock 26 9mm handgun and ammunition consistent with the brand and caliber used in the shooting. Officers also said they recovered vacuum-sealed bags similar to bags found in a safe on Lushin’s property, several pounds of suspected marijuana, cash and phones that matched devices investigators had been tracing. On Lushin’s property, detectives found a safe in an outbuilding containing eight sealed bags weighing just under 11 pounds of material described as consistent with marijuana. They also found $15,590 in cash in a purple Crown Royal bag in the master bedroom. Police have not said that any of those items, by themselves, prove who fired the shots, but they have argued that the combined evidence points to Brown.
Lushin’s public profile added unusual attention to the case. In poker circles, he was known as Matt Lushin and had accumulated more than $500,000 in live tournament cashes, according to records cited by investigators. One of the most recent results highlighted in court records was a fourth-place finish worth $69,542 in a 2025 World Series of Poker event in Amsterdam. Friends and fellow players also noted that he had recently cashed in a World Series of Poker Circuit event in Northwest Indiana shortly before his death. That record helps explain why early descriptions of the case centered on a “poker player,” but police have said the alleged motive was not a gambling debt. Instead, they say the debt grew from a side business in marijuana. Officials have been careful, however, not to overstate the reach of that activity. Hamilton County Prosecutor Josh Kocher said at the news conference that investigators do not believe the relationship between Brown and Lushin points to a broader drug ring. That narrowed description leaves room for unanswered questions, including how long the men had worked together, whether anyone else knew the size of the debt, and whether more records could emerge as the case moves through court.
The arrest came March 27, 15 days after Lushin was found dead. Brown was booked into the Hamilton County Jail at 10:51 a.m. that day and is being held without bond, according to jail records. Kocher said Brown faces one count of murder, which in Indiana carries a potential sentence of 45 to 60 years, as well as a firearm enhancement that can add five to 20 years if proved. Police have said Brown declined to give a statement or answer questions about the killing after he was taken into custody. As of Tuesday, authorities had not publicly announced any additional arrests, and Kocher said they were not actively seeking other suspects or accomplices. Even so, both he and police urged people with relevant information to come forward as investigators continue reviewing evidence. The next steps are expected to include formal court proceedings in Hamilton County, continued forensic testing on the gun and other items seized in the searches, and a fuller public airing of the evidence if the case proceeds toward trial. Prosecutors have not publicly laid out a complete timetable for hearings, but the filing of the probable cause affidavit and the initial charge have already moved the case from a death investigation into a prosecution centered on motive, planning and physical evidence.
For Westfield, a fast-growing community north of Indianapolis better known for new neighborhoods and youth sports than violent crime, the case has landed with particular force. Mayor Scott Willis said the killing was the city’s first homicide in roughly seven years, framing it as both a shock and a test of the city’s promise of safety. Keen said the risk to the public appears minimal because investigators believe the killing was targeted, not random. Still, the details have given the case a grim, intimate quality: a man found dead inside his own home, cash left in rooms, suspected drugs packaged for movement, and a vehicle police say was used to scout the house before the shooting. Lushin’s obituary, published days after his death, described a father, son and friend with a larger-than-life presence and a sharp sense of humor. That portrait sits in stark contrast to the allegations now at the center of the case. For investigators, the story is one of records and warrants. For relatives, poker friends and neighbors, it is also the sudden loss of a man whose life extended far beyond the evidence bags now stacked around his name.
Brown remains jailed in Hamilton County as the murder case moves into its next phase, with prosecutors expected to continue presenting evidence gathered from searches, phone data and financial records. Authorities say the investigation is still open, but they have described the killing as an isolated act and said no other suspects are being sought at this time.
Author note: Last updated March 31, 2026.