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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Indiana Court of Appeals has affirmed a trial court’s decision to convict a man of criminal confinement after he was accused of helping a prostitute hold a man hostage during a property deal.
The appellate court handed down the decision on April 2 in the case Shannon Beckwith v. State of Indiana, 25A-CR-2480.
“This ruling sends a clear message – Indiana will not tolerate violent criminals who prey on others for financial gain,” said an office spokesperson for Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, who represented the state in the appeal. “Our office will continue to defend the convictions of those who commit these serious crimes and to protect victims across our state.”
Beckwith’s attorney did not immediately respond to The Indiana Lawyer’s request for comment.
Beckwith appealed to the court in October 2025 after the St. Joseph Superior Court convicted him of level 2 felony attempted robbery resulting in serious bodily injury and level 3 felony criminal confinement.
In his appeal, Beckwith argued whether the state had presented sufficient evidence at trial to sustain his convictions.
According to court documents, Beckwith was a regular customer of a prostitute, Mariah Conn-Wilhelm, the latter of whom often received financial support from John Hanson, another one of her regular customers. Conn-Wilhelm and Beckwith often held bonfires together on a parcel of land that Hanson owned.
In the summer of 2022, a man offered to purchase the land from Hanson, and Hanson, then 61, agreed to sell it for $16,000. Conn-Wilhelm, then 28, was present for the conversation between Hanson and the buyer.
On the day Hanson was set to close the sale, he went to Conn-Wilhelm’s apartment in Mishawaka. Shortly after his arrival, Conn-Wilhelm allegedly hit Hanson on the back of the head with a frying pan and ushered him into the bathroom while she called Beckwith.
Together, Beckwith and Conn-Wilhelm kept Hanson in the apartment for several hours, not allowing him to leave and beating him, according to court documents. Conn-Wilhelm allegedly ordered Hanson to call the buyer of the land and arrange for her to receive the money meant for Hanson.
When the man refused to give the money to Conn-Wilhelm, Beckwith allegedly brought Hanson into a bedroom at gunpoint and restrained him with rope, a chain and a ball gag.
Hanson was able to escape, and neighbors called the police. DNA testing in the apartment revealed Beckwith’s DNA on the items used to restrain Hanson.
Cell phone data also revealed that Beckwith was in the area of Conn-Wilhelm’s apartment at the time of the incident.
During Beckwith’s trial in August 2025, Hanson did not identify the male assailant as Beckwith, according to court documents. Instead, Hanson described the assailant as, “stocky build, probably 30, 35, tight curly hair style, short hair, white, kind of muscular…” court documents state.
Conn-Wilhelm also testified that she didn’t see Beckwith in the courtroom during his trial.
The trial court eventually sentenced Beckwith to 17-1/2 years for his level 2 felony and nine years for his level 3 felony convictions.
On appeal, Beckwith argued that the state failed to present sufficient evidence that identified him as the male assailant in Conn-Wilhelm’s apartment when Hanson was attacked and restrained.
In the appellate court’s decision, written by Judge Melissa May, the court stated that, while Hanson did not directly identify Beckwith as the assailant, Beckwith “largely matched the general descriptions of the male assailant provided by both Hanson and Conn-Wilhelm at trial.”
The court further stated that Beckwith’s jail booking record listed him in much the same way Hanson did. Finally, Beckwith’s cell phone data and DNA found on the restraints was sufficient evidence to prove Beckwith was the assailant who criminally confined and attempted to rob Hanson alongside Conn-Wilhelm.
The appellate court affirmed the trial court’s decision, with Judge Paul Mathias and Judge Paul Felix concurring.
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