U.S. Department of Justice

United States Attorney
Southern District of Indiana

www.justice.gov/usao/ins

For Immediate Release

November 23, 2009

New Albany Man Sentenced To 37 Months For Supplying Firearms Used To SHoot Jeffersonville Police Officers

Indianapolis — Vincent D. Windell, Jr., 22, of New Albany, was sentenced to 37 months in prison today by Chief U.S. District Judge David F. Hamilton following his guilty plea to knowingly transferring a firearm to Robert Datillo, a known felon. Windell pled guilty to one count of unlawful transfer of a firearm to a convicted felon. This case was the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, Jeffersonville Police Department, Louisville Metropolitan Police Department, New Albany Police Department, and Indiana State Police.

During the investigation, law enforcement officials determined that Windell transferred two firearms to Robert Datillo. The firearms were purchased by Windell from a southern Indiana gun store on December 10, 2008, and transferred to Datillo the same day. Windell purchased both firearms using money Datillo provided. At the time he transferred the firearms to Datillo, Windell knew that Datillo was a convicted felon. On February 19, 2009, Datillo used one of the firearms, the TISAS .45 caliber handgun, to shoot two Jeffersonville police officers as they arrived at a local hotel to investigate a report of suspicious activity. Datillo later committed suicide using the same .45 caliber handgun.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. Rinka, who prosecuted the case for the government, Chief Judge Hamilton also ordered Windell to pay a $1,000 fine and to serve three years supervised release following Windell's release from prison.

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