INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A Plainfield man on Tuesday pleaded guilty but mentally ill during the second day of his trial in the murder of a 77-year-old woman in 2024 at an Indianapolis mobile home community. Zakii Dawson will turn 21 just 10 days before his sentencing March 4 in Marion Superior Court 21. He’s expected to receive a 45-year prison sentence. Dawson, who was 18 when arrested, was charged with killing Mary Sims. She’d let Dawson reside inside her home “to help him get back on his feet,” said a news release issued Tuesday from the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office. “The night before the murder, he was removed from the residence and told not to return after a disturbance in which he destroyed property and assaulted Sims,” the release said. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department were called about 5:30 p.m. Jan. 12, 2024, to the home in the 2900 block of Landola Lane. That’s the Lake of the Pines mobile home community for people 55 and older. It’s located off South Lynhurst Drive just south of the I-70 overpass on the southwest side of Indianapolis. Before calling police, Sims’ granddaughter had entered the home and noticed signs of a struggle and the smell of bleach. The granddaughter could not find Sims, but discovered Dawson hiding behind a door. Police later found Sims dead on the floor of a bathroom in a back bedroom. Investigators reported that the 77-year-old had been handcuffed and had a plastic bag covering her head. She had also suffered significant trauma. “During an interview with investigators, Dawson admitted he knew he was not permitted to return to the home. He acknowledged handcuffing Sims, wrapping her head in plastic, knowing the location of knives inside the residence, and attempting to clean the scene with bleach or another cleaner. Investigators also observed Dawson had multiple injuries to his hands and blood on his clothing,” the release said. Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears highlighted the kindness Sims had given to Dawson before her death. “It takes a special kind of person to open their home to someone in a time of need. Mary and her family should be remembered as good, kind people who did not deserve this unimaginable tragedy.” ...read more read less