MARANTOS SENTENCED FOR THE KILLING OF BRIAN KIRBY

This stems from a missing person investigation in March 2020

                               (JCS)

On Thursday, August 26, 2021, Alan J. Marantos (age 36), who had pled guilty to the murder of Brian K. Kirby (age 52), was sentenced in the Jennings County Circuit Court. Murielle S. Webster Bright presided over the hearing.

At the sentencing hearing, Prosecuting Attorney Brian Belding questioned Jennings County Sheriff’s Office Investigators, Indiana State Police Investigators and investigators from the Indiana Fire Marshal’s Office. A missing person investigation started on March 28, 2020 quickly evolved into a criminal investigation after what has been described as the largest land/air/water search in the history of Jennings County failed to locate Mr. Kirby alive. During the search, partial human remains were discovered and later identified as Brian Kirby’s remains.

During the course of the investigation, Alan J. Marantos was developed as a suspect and subsequently arrested and charged with Brian Kirby’s murder. Marantos was taken into custody on an unrelated case in April of 2020 where he was held while investigators developed evidence in the murder case.

The investigation determined that on March 27, 2020, Brian Kirby, Alan Marantos along with three other subjects were at a residence on Primeshire Ct. in Country Squire Lakes when Alan Marantos beat Brian Kirby to death. Marantos then transported Kirby’s body to an address on Chatsworth Ln. in Country Squire Lakes and subsequently burned Kirby’s remains over the next several days. The ash pile, along with Kirby’s remains were taken to at least two different locations in western Jennings County and disposed.

During the course of the investigation, human remains were located and positively identified through DNA analysis as belonging to Brian Kirby.

As part of the plea agreement, Mr. Marantos pled guilty to murder which carries a sentencing range of 45-65 years to be served in the Indiana Department of Corrections. Jennings Circuit Court Judge, the Honorable Murielle S. Bright, sentenced Mr. Marantos to the maximum allowed sentence of 65 years which will be served in the Indiana Dept. of Corrections.

Belding stated that the sentencing hearing was very emotional for the family and all those involved. Hopefully, the family can finally have some closure and begin the healing process. Belding added that the Jennings County Sheriff Office, Indiana State Police, State Fire Marshall Office, Department of Natural Resources, and many other law enforcement agencies did an amazing job collaborating to bring Marantos to justice.