Witnesses recount the weekend Malik Sims died on second day of murder trial

To read day one trial coverage, click here. 

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Most nights, Malik Sims played video games with his friends. They would play Call of Duty, Fortnite or an edition of NBA 2K. 

On the night he went missing, he wasn’t online. His username didn’t show up as active. 

The night he went missing, on July 14, 2024, he had made plans with a girl. But as the day went on, she stopped receiving messages from him. 

The next day, Jennifer Hawkins was driving along a gravel stretch of Stephenson Road, near the Owen-Monroe county line. She saw what looked like someone laying on their left side, head down. She called 911. 

Sims was found dead with a black plastic back over his head, covering up a single gunshot wound.

On July 22, 2026, Sims’ friends sat at the witness stand in the Owen County Courthouse, recounting the last communication they had with him the weekend he died. Hawkins shared what she saw at the scene. Law enforcement officers detailed the steps they took to investigate.

Sims’ friends and roommate also told the prosecutors what they knew about Quentin Lamont Porter, Jr., the 27-year-old Bloomington man charged with murder, auto theft, identity deception and theft in connection with Sims’ death.

On July 13, the day before Sims disappeared, his roommate at the time, Tyler Roudebush interacted with Porter several times. Porter had come to their apartment, asking for Sims. 

“He was acting kinda strange,” Roudebush said. “He was profusely sweating. He didn't look like a normal, taken care of person. It was odd.” Porter was jittery, wearing a white tank top and a backpack filled to the brim, Roudebush said. 

Roudebush woke Sims up. A couple hours later, Porter was back. One time he knocked on the door that day, he asked if Roudebush would sell him marijuana, something that Sims did in small quantities, Roudebush said. 

“I told him no, that I don't do that,” he said. 

Public defender Megan Scheuler asked Roudebush if he knew of Sims being indebted to anyone. Roudebush denied it. 

The next day, Porter allegedly came back about three times. Roudebush said he saw him for the last time between 4 and 5 p.m. 

On July 15, Jayden Street, one of Sims’ close friends, received a phone call from his mother, telling him that Sims was missing. Their mothers were friends and Sims’ had not been able to find him.

Street and Sims shared locations with each other on Find My iPhone. Street saw that Sims’ location last registered 22 hours ago. He drove to that location, which ended up being the scene police were already investigating. 

Street also said he has known Porter, who was often referred to as QP, since fifth-grade, and was friends with him. 

“Did you know if there was any beef, so to speak, between him [Sims] and QP?” Scheuler asked. 

Street said he did not. 

Tyshawn Pruitt also had Sims’ location. He gave it to their mutual friend Kevin Mimms, who said he grew up with Sims. Mimms used the location, which had last registered near Indianapolis. He drove to the location and found what appeared to be Sims’ car, an Audi A4. But, there were trash bags covering the windows. 

Mimms told Owen County Prosecutor Benjamin Kim that this was unusual for Sims. Later, Indiana State Police evidence technicians found blood, bleach traces and spray paint on the interior. According to a probable cause affidavit, Porter’s grandmother and family members told officers Porter arrived at his grandmother’s residence in the Audi A4 at 11 p.m. on July 14, 2024. 

Spencer Police Department Officer Benjamin Muncie described to the courtroom the work he did to track Sims’ phone using Snapchat data. He also obtained records from Enterprise Rent-A-Car, O’Reilly Auto Parts, T-Mobile and various businesses for surveillance video. 

The data showed Sims’ location moving from his Bloomington apartment through Ellettsville on the route he was believed to take to the place he was found. Public defender Jacob Fish asked Muncie if, of the 1,500 locations the Snapchat data returned to him, he could tell that Sims had been to the location he was found more than once. 

Muncie said he looked through everything, but wasn’t able to say with certainty.

FBI Special Agent Nicole Robertson also outlined the path Sims’ phone took that day, using a  historical cell-site analysis. That data shows what cell towers handled a phone’s connection during a certain period of time. Using timing advance data, analysts can determine the distance of a device from a specific tower. After 6:39 pm July 14, Robertson found no activity until the following day at 2:46 pm, when the phone was in Lawrence, Indiana, near Indianapolis. 

The trial is ongoing and expected to take approximately eight days.