Trial of Gary man on attempted murder charge postponed because he refuses to leave prison

The trial of a Gary man on attempted murder charges was postponed Monday after he refused to leave his jail cell, saying he was not “mentally stable” enough to represent himself, records show.

Aaron White, 38, was charged with multiple felonies in January 2021 after attempting to break into his ex-girlfriend's home in Gary and later shooting at a pickup truck as her daughter tried to leave the house, the indictment states.

He was due to go on trial this week.

Instead, Judge Gina Jones of Lake Superior ordered him to undergo a mental competency evaluation. He was reappointed a public defender and a new hearing is scheduled for September 26.

His ex-girlfriend told police she was sleeping in the 5000 block of Connecticut Street around 7 a.m. on Dec. 21, 2020, when her phone beeped and a security camera showed White walking toward the house. After they broke up on Nov. 20, he tried to “set her on fire,” documents say.

According to documents, she filed for a protective order on November 30.

White ripped off the camera and doorbell, came back and hit the camera with a brick, the filings say. He then used a brick to smash the front living room window while walking around to the side, the documents say. The woman's 20-year-old daughter heard a “commotion” and got up, finding the living room window broken. When she returned, she saw White throw a brick into her bedroom window, the charges say.

The ex-girlfriend called police when he tried to break through the front door but was stopped by metal security bars on either side of the door, the documents say. As he ran across the street to an abandoned house, she called her ex-husband and told him to come and get their daughter out.

The father arrived with his now-wife around 7:40 a.m. The daughter had gathered her things and was walking to his pickup truck when she heard “six or seven” gunshots. She jumped into the back seat as her father drove off, records say.

When she turned around briefly, she saw White behind her. A few shots had hit the doorpost next to her, which was still open, the documents say.

She did not see the gun, but noticed “muzzle flashes” during the shooting, the indictment says. The woman said she met White about a year and nine months ago.

After their separation in November, White doused her with lighter fluid from a charcoal grill but was unable to light her, the indictment says.

When the woman ran back into her home, he broke in, grabbed her by the neck and threw her to the ground, documents say. She fled with her two daughters, ages 20 and 11. He later texted her threatening to kill her, documents say.

According to the documents, a case of obstruction of justice is scheduled to be tried in September 2022 along with the attempted murder case.

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