Indianapolis Woman Charged with Threatening to Kill United States Representative
INDIANAPOLIS / Wednesday, January 14, 2026 —Shayla Addison, 28, of Indianapolis, has been charged with two counts of Influencing a Federal Official by Threat.
According to court documents, on January 15, 2025, beginning at approximately 8:53 a.m., Addison sent five text messages to the campaign phone number of Victim 1, a member of the United States House of Representatives. The messages included explicit threats to kill Victim 1, including statements such as “Come outside b**** we’ll kill you” and “Tread lightly,” among other variations.
Minutes later, Addison sent additional messages to Victim 1’s campaign email address, again threatening to kill Victim 1 and stating, “We will kill you and blow that whole building up b**** come outside.”
That same day, Addison also posted threatening comments on Victim 1’s Instagram account, including: “Shut up h** I’ll kill you” and “I hope you got mace… cause you gone need it.”
By sending the messages, Addison intended to retaliate against Victim 1 on account of Victim 1’s performance of official duties.
The FBI and United States Capitol Police investigated this case. Addison faces up to ten years in federal prison.
U.S. Attorney Wheeler thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Olivier, who is prosecuting this case.
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Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Indiana
