INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis mother has been sentenced after pleading guilty in connection with the 2025 death of her 2-year-old son, who fatally shot himself with a handgun while the family was in a vehicle.
Keiara Bickett pleaded guilty to reckless homicide and neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury. Under the plea agreement, prosecutors dismissed the more serious charge of neglect of a dependent resulting in death.
Bickett was sentenced Sept. 15 to three years in prison followed by three years of home detention. The sentences were required to run consecutively.
Prosecutors had sought the maximum possible sentence of 12 years, including 10 years in prison and two years of probation. Bickett’s defense had asked the court to impose no prison time or allow her to serve the sentence through community corrections.
The plea agreement also calls for the firearm involved in the shooting and the ammunition collected during the investigation to be destroyed.
Bickett is pregnant and is expected to give birth in November. She will remain incarcerated when the child is born.
What happened to the 2-year-old
The case stems from the death of Bickett’s son, Javarius, in June 2025.
The shooting happened in a CVS parking lot near East 46th Street and Keystone Avenue in Indianapolis. Bickett was driving with her two children at the time. Her young son was initially in a car seat, while his older sister was in the front passenger area.
According to court records, Bickett told investigators that the family had stopped at a gas station before going to CVS to pick up a prescription. When they arrived, the CVS drive-thru was closed, and Bickett stopped before going inside.
At some point, Javarius was no longer in his car seat. Bickett told police she did not know exactly when he had gotten out and said he had moved into the front portion of the vehicle.
As she was trying to park, Bickett said she was looking toward her phone when she suddenly heard a gunshot. She ducked and then saw her son falling toward the passenger-side floorboard.
Bickett stopped the vehicle, picked up Javarius and called 911. The child was taken to Riley Hospital for Children, where he later died from his injuries.
Investigators found the handgun inside the vehicle
Police determined that the firearm involved was a 9mm Glock Model 26 Gen 5 that Bickett told investigators she owned.
Bickett said she normally carried the handgun inside her purse and kept the purse zipped. She told police, however, that she did not believe the purse was zipped on the day of the shooting.
She also told investigators that she usually kept the purse on the driver’s-side floorboard but that, on this occasion, it was positioned near the front passenger seat.
Bickett said she did not see Javarius holding the handgun and did not see the weapon immediately after hearing the shot.
Investigators later recovered the Glock from the driver’s-side floor area. A fired cartridge was found in the chamber, while a loaded magazine was also recovered. Police also documented a bullet strike inside the vehicle and recovered a fired bullet from the rear passenger area.
Javarius’ sister witnessed the shooting
Bickett’s daughter, who was 8 at the time, also spoke with investigators.
According to court documents, the girl said her mother’s purse had been beside her. She said Javarius had gotten out of his car seat and eventually climbed into her lap while the vehicle was moving.
The girl told investigators that she was playing a game on her phone when she heard a loud noise. She then saw her younger brother fall to the floor of the vehicle.
The shooting left the family facing both a devastating loss and a criminal case that continued for more than a year.
Plea agreement ends case without trial
Bickett’s case had been headed toward a trial before the plea agreement was reached. By pleading guilty to reckless homicide and neglect of a dependent resulting in bodily injury, she avoided trial on the more serious neglect charge that alleged the child’s death resulted from the offense.
The judge ultimately imposed six years of combined supervision, with the first three years to be served in prison and the following three years under home detention.
The sentence brings the criminal proceedings over Javarius’ death to a close while leaving the circumstances surrounding the shooting as a lasting tragedy for the family.
