East Chicago woman granted bail in April 2025 murder case

A judge granted bail in December to a woman involved in a fatal shooting at an East Chicago apartment.

Rena Dixon, 34, is charged with murder, unlawful possession of a firearm by a violent felon and use of firearms in the April 26, 2025 death of Aaliyah Shewan, 27, of Aurora, Illinois.

Shewan was shot in the stomach in Dixon’s apartment and died at a nearby hospital.

Dixon’s bond was reset to $7,500 cash. Court records do not appear to show she posted bond. A status hearing is scheduled for March 26.

Two bail hearings were held in August and December.

Defense attorney Adam Tavitas argued in court filings that the other two men did not see the shooting and that the gun was not found. No one else in the apartment testified at the bail hearing or gave a reason.

Assistant District Attorney Paul Namie argued in his filings that a woman said, “You’re not supposed to be here” before a shooting. The men tried to “defuse” the tensions.

No eyewitnesses were “concerning,” but not “unusual,” he wrote. Neither man was “available” to testify at the bail hearings, Namie wrote.

Police responded to the 1300 block of W. 150th Street on April 26 for a reported shooting.

Shewan’s boyfriend told police he initially told 911 it was a drive-by shooting because he didn’t think she would die and didn’t want to get Dixon in trouble.

Dixon called him to invite the Aurora couple that evening. They were there with Dixon and another man — whose identity Escutia did not discover, records show.

Officers found Dixon sitting in the passenger seat of a Chrysler 300 parked outside. She gave his name before appearing to pass out. The police smelled alcohol.

During an interview with police, Shewan’s boyfriend was “distraught” when he learned she had died. He consented to a DNA sample. His story matched the video and audio evidence, Escutia wrote.

After arriving, the women began “trash talking,” which 20 minutes later turned into a “fight,” but they were not physically fighting, the boyfriend said.

Dixon has a gun. She started arguing with Shewan’s boyfriend. He took the gun, then returned it as she became “combative,” the affidavit states. He said he didn’t realize at first that Shewan had been shot.

mcolias@post-trib.com