Published on: March 30, 2026, 02:29h.
Updated on: March 30, 2026, 02:29h.
- Poker player fatally shot in connection with a $50,000 marijuana debt
- Evidence including rental SUV and phone records link suspect to the incident
- Forensic findings connect suspect to the victim’s marijuana business
James “Matt” Lushin, a poker player, lost his life due to a financial dispute, as believed by Indiana prosecutors – but it wasn’t related to gambling. On March 27, authorities in Westfield, a suburb of Indianapolis, apprehended Ronald Dewayne Brown Jr., 50, under suspicion of Lushin’s murder.
Lushin, a successful real estate investor, enjoyed poker as a lucrative hobby. However, he also had a perilous side venture, as reported by Fox 59.
A probable cause affidavit indicates that Lushin and Brown were partners in a marijuana enterprise, with Lushin having extended about $50,000 worth of product to Brown, plunging him deeply into debt.
Deadly Business Venture
Lushin’s remains were discovered at his Westfield residence on March 12, where authorities reported he had been shot multiple times in the back. Marijuana jars were found on the counter, seemingly prepared for packaging into vacuum-sealed bags.
Outside the main house, officers discovered a secure outbuilding containing an open safe with 11 pounds of the drug stored in sealed packages, according to the affidavit.
Lushin, a father, was killed just two weeks after he made a cashout at a World Series of Poker Circuit event at Horseshoe Hammond in Northwest Indiana. He accumulated over $500,000 in gross tournament earnings per the Hendon Mob database and was a well-respected figure within the poker community, as highlighted by PokerNews.
Identifying the Suspect
Investigators reviewed neighborhood surveillance footage and spotted a black Dodge Durango, with obscured license plates, circling Lushin’s residence multiple times on the day of the murder.
They traced the vehicle back to a rental at Indianapolis airport and identified Brown through video recordings from the rental facility.
Furthermore, analysis of Lushin’s communications indicated regular contact with Brown via the Signal app. Records revealed that Brown transferred Lushin $18K via CashApp in the preceding year, with the last transaction occurring on March 5, as stated in the affidavit.
During a raid on Brown’s residence, law enforcement found vacuum-sealed bags that were identical to those in Lushin’s safe and exhibited a heat-seal pattern matching the sealer retrieved from Lushin’s premises.
A Glock 26, loaded with ammunition corresponding to that used in Lushin’s murder, was uncovered under a chest of drawers.
Officers also seized a piece of cardboard that appeared to have been used to cover the SUV’s license plate on the murder date.
Brown has not cooperated with law enforcement during the investigation and was charged with one count of murder on Monday.