Witnesses Say Indiana Man Was 'Trying To Decapitate His Stepfather' With a Shovel During Attack

Witnesses told police they saw an Indiana man trying to decapitate his stepfather with a shovel during an alleged attack at a family home in Indianapolis on 11 October 2026, according to court records cited by local media.

David White, 38, has been arrested in connection with the deaths of his mother and stepfather, though the allegations against him have not been tested in court.

The reported incident has prompted a murder investigation and a detailed account from neighbours who said they watched events unfold outside the property. White is facing two murder counts in arrest records obtained by People, but prosecutors had not released a formal complaint at the time of that report.

What Witnesses Alleged

Neighbours told police they saw White attacking his 80-year-old stepfather in the driveway of the family's Indianapolis home. They alleged he was 'trying to decapitate his stepfather by chopping at his neck with a shovel', according to reporting by WXIN.

The Marion County Coroner's Office identified the stepfather as Robert Jay Pottle Jr. Witnesses alleged that when Pottle tried to wrestle the shovel away, White began stabbing him with a kitchen knife.

People reported that White's 75-year-old mother was found lifeless, with a pair of bloody garden shears nearby. The outlet said she is believed to have been stabbed to death with the shears, although the coroner's findings on cause and manner of death had not been detailed in the available reporting.

There is a discrepancy in local coverage about where her body was discovered. Some reports say she was found inside the home, while the People article cited for this piece places her body in the driveway. IBTimes UK cannot resolve that from the material available, so the precise location is not presented here as established fact.

The witness accounts form the basis of the early police narrative. They are also only accounts, relayed through local reporting and preliminary records rather than tested evidence.

Arrest and Legal Status

White was arrested following the incident on 11 October 2026. People reported that arrest records listed two murder counts, while formal charges from the prosecutor's office were still pending at the time of its report.

In practical terms, White had been arrested and preliminary murder counts were recorded, but the formal complaint expected from prosecutors had not yet been issued when People published its account.

Police were called during the incident. Neighbours alleged that White ran inside the family home and stripped down to his underwear before officers arrived. According to WXIN's reporting, he surrendered without incident.

Preliminary court records obtained by WXIN alleged that White 'seemed to understand what had occurred ... but he didn't want to answer questions because they had been holding him against his will'.

The wording is attributed to those records, not presented as a direct statement from White, and it is not a finding about his mental state or legal responsibility.

White was being held in the Marion County Jail while prosecutors prepared the formal case filing. People reported at the time that he did not have a lawyer and had yet to enter a plea because he had not been formally charged. That position reflected the information available when the report was published and may since have changed.

Next Steps in the Case

White was scheduled to make his first court appearance on Wednesday, 14 October 2026. People reported that a formal complaint was expected to be released on that date, after the hearing.

That filing is expected to clarify the exact charges prosecutors intend to pursue and provide a more complete account of the evidence relied upon. Until then, the available public record consists of an arrest, preliminary counts and witness statements reported by local media.

Two people, aged 75 and 80, have died following the incident at their Indianapolis home. White, their son and stepson, has been arrested in connection with their deaths. The allegations against him remain unproven.

The case will now move through the courts rather than through neighbour accounts or early reporting. The formal complaint, once released, is likely to establish what prosecutors actually allege and on what basis.