What did Jose Benitez Tilley do? Former Papa John's employee sentenced to 65 years in prison over double homicide case

On February 13, a Papa John's employee came to work in the morning to discover the bodies of Dustin Carr and Haley Smith behind the outlet. The engaged couple, who had been working late at night on Saturday at the pizza shop, was murdered by a former colleague.

A couple of days later, the Elkhart County Homicide Unit arrested Jose Benitez Tilley in connection with the double homicide that had stunned the entire community. Tilley reportedly had worked alongside the couple at Papa John's before he was laid off. In surveillance footage obtained by the police, Tilley could be seen fatally shooting both Carr and Smith.

On Thursday, July 14, the ex-Papa John's worker, who had pleaded guilty to two counts of murder last month in Elkhart County, was sentenced to 65 years in prison which, under Indiana state law, is the maximum sentence for murder. Tilley received two sentences of 65 years, which will run concurrently.

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Haley Smith and Dustin Carr homicide case involving Papa John's employee explored

Haley Smith, 22, and Dustin Carr, 37, had recently got engaged in the winter of 2021. The 22-year-old has been described by family friends as someone who "Loved to read books." They also added:

"She loved sunflowers. Why would you hurt somebody like that?"

Smith and Carr were the only people working at the restaurant on Saturday night when Goshen resident Jose Benitez Tilley returned for a second time on the same night to ask for the job he had previously lost, according to witnesses; surveillance footage shows Tilley entering the Papa John's outlet.

After about 30 minutes, the camera catches him walking out of the restaurant and driving a gold Dodge Caravan to the back of the restaurant with the lights off. The bodies were discovered in an alley behind the restaurant the next morning.

When questioned by Circuit Court Judge Michael Christofeno, Jose Benitez Tilley admitted to fatally shooting the couple in February. He also admitted to stealing money and jewelry from the deceased before leaving the premises. An additional count of abusing a corpse was dismissed by the court.

Condolences have poured in for the Papa John's tragedy. The gruesome deaths have left the family and friends of the couple grieving and have shocked the otherwise peaceful city of Elkhart. Jennifer Conway, a family friend, mourned the loss of Smith by saying:

"You can’t have someone sit at your dinner table, right here next to you, for three years and not love that person, not care about that person, deal with all their highs and all their lows, and not care about them, share in their life. A life that was taken for no reason.”

Tilley's attorney, Jeffrey Majerek, believes that he could finish his sentence early.