Inset: Brent Clayburn (Columbus Police Department). Background: The street where Clayburn tried to shoot and kill his ex-wife in Columbus, Ind. (Google Maps).
An Indiana man will spend several decades behind bars after trying to kill his ex-wife during an attack involving a neighbor.
Brent Clayburn, 61, was found guilty in April of one count each of attempted murder and criminal confinement with a deadly weapon by a jury of his peers in Bartholomew County.
On Thursday, the defendant was sentenced to 35 years in prison for the attempted murder count – the judge also issued a 12-year sentence for the criminal confinement count. Judge Kelly Benjamin assessed the lesser sentence to run concurrently, or at the same time.
The underlying incident occurred on Sept. 15, 2024, at a residence on Silver Fox Drive in Columbus – a medium-sized city roughly 45 miles due south of Indianapolis.
Officers responded to reports of shots fired and a two-hour standoff ensued – with Clayburn ultimately taken into custody by a SWAT team.
On the night in question, Clayburn had gone to his ex-wife's house and rang the doorbell. The woman, recognizing her ex-husband, opened the door and let him in. The violence began immediately.
"As soon as Clayburn came inside, he punched her and said something to the effect of, 'One of us is going to die tonight,'" according to an affidavit obtained by The Republic, the local daily newspaper.
The woman escaped into the garage and tried to leave through an overhead door. But the defendant grabbed her by the hair and tried to pull her back inside the house, according to the charging document.
On the way back to the house, the woman broke free of Clayburn's clutches and ran towards a neighbor who was heading toward the commotion after hearing the woman's screams, police said.
The neighbor later said he saw the attacker with an "object in his hand," according to Indianapolis-based Fox affiliate WXIN.
Clayburn had grabbed his weapon as his ex-wife fled toward the neighbor.
"As she did, Clayburn fired multiple shots," the affidavit reads.
The neighbor yelled out "Hey!" in an attempt to draw the defendant's attention away from the woman – and so the shots came toward both of them, according to law enforcement. Still, the neighbor and the victim made it safely to the other man's house.
As police arrived, the defendant barricaded himself inside his ex's house. After a negotiation, Clayburn surrendered to SWAT.
Inside the house, investigators found three handguns, a collapsible rifle, two magazines and a backpack containing several boxes of ammunition. There were eight bullet casings at the scene and seven bullet holes in the neighbor's garage door, police said.
The defendant was initially charged with two additional counts of criminal confinement and a misdemeanor count of domestic battery; prosecutors dropped those charges in early April, court records show.
"This verdict is the result of the relentless work and dedication of our prosecution team and the Columbus Police Department," lead prosecutor Lindsey Holden said. "I am incredibly proud of the way this case was investigated and presented in the courtroom. Most importantly, this conviction reflects our continued commitment to seeking justice for victims of violent crime and holding offenders accountable. We will not waver in that mission."