Shatrese Flowers, a longtime Marion County judge, passed away at age 50, the court administration confirms

Indianapolis, Indiana – Marion County court administration issued a news release announcing the passing of Judge Shatrese M. Flowers.

For Marion County Superior Court 28, Judge Flowers served as the presiding officer. According to a press release from the county, she also held the position of Master Commissioner for the Marion County Superior Court starting in 2005.

In 2014, Judge Flowers was chosen to serve on the bench. Flowers’ current term was scheduled to expire in December 2026, according to Ballotpedia.

In addition, Judge Flowers oversaw both the Arrestee Processing Center and the Jury Pool. She was listed by county officials as an Associate Presiding Judge of the Executive Committee starting in 2001.

Judge Flowers worked as a deputy public defender for the Marion County Public Defender Agency and as an assistant corporation counsel for the Office of Corporation Counsel prior to taking the bench.

According to police reports on Sunday, Judge Flowers passed away due to natural causes. Administrators of the court verified that she was fifty years old when she passed away.

While Judge Flowers was on the bench, she worked on numerous important cases. Marcus Garvin’s bond was dramatically reduced by her from $30,000 surety to $1,500 cash in 2021.

Garvin’s bail was subsequently paid by The Bail Project, a group that covers people’s bail when they are unable to do so financially.

Garvin was charged at the time with killing his girlfriend. Later, he entered a plea deal admitting to murder and was sentenced to 45 years in prison.

In late 2021, Judge Flowers also freed Brandon Herring, who had been charged with killing his 4-month-old kid by shaking him and turning off a GPS tracker in order to avoid capture.