New Albany man charged with murdering his 56-year-old mother in their home last week

NEW ALBANY, Ind. (WDRB) -- A New Albany man is accused of killing his mother in their home last week.

Floyd County Prosecutor Chris Lane and New Albany Police Chief Todd Bailey held a news briefing Wednesday to announce charges against Maxwell Allen Samourian.

The 23-year-old was identified as a suspect in a "possible homicide" on June 19. That's when his mother — 56-year-old Sally Samourian — was found dead in a home in the 3400 block Greenview Drive in a neighborhood off Green Valley Road.

Officials said Sally Samourian was found in her bedroom. Her son, Maxwell, was found in the garage.

"They also discovered her son, 23-year-old Maxwell Samourian, also on scene. Officers were quick to secure that scene and ensure that Maxwell was properly detained, so he could not leave prior to our investigation," Bailey said.

"I hate to see all the turmoil going on," Marvin Loi, who lives in the neighborhood, said. "I am old fashioned. I live in the past. We had rules."

Bailey said the facts of the case were turned over to Lane, and a warrant was issued for Maxwell's arrest.

"Cases like this are shocking to the community. We're very fortunate that we have very little violent crime in New Albany," Bailey said. "In fact, this case is actually our first homicide of 2024. And we have noted a 15% decrease in violent crime as compared to the same timeframe last year."

Bailey credited the hard work of New Albany Police and the men and women of the criminal justice system in Floyd County for the decrease in violent crime.

Lane also commended the detectives on the case, who stayed up all night getting the facts straight.

"In every investigation, you have a window of opportunity," Lane said. "And they go aggressively to collect evidence. And I'm so proud of how they reacted to this."

Lane said Maxwell is now charged with murder. He is currently in custody at Louisville Metro Corrections and will be brought to Floyd County "at a date yet to be determined."

Lane said a gun was not used in the crime.

"So I keep everything down to the Probable Cause (affidavit), and in the Probable Cause there was no indication of a weapon being used," Lane said. "The allegation was that a knife was used."

According to Maxwell's arrest report, police found severe cuts all over Sally's body, including her neck and face. It also says officers also found her blood and hair under Maxwell's fingernails.

The arrest report added Sally Samourian recently called 911 about her son being violent with her.

"It's a sad world," Loi said. "It's sad. It's sad for her, for both of them."

Lane said the first call about the incident started as a typical welfare check.

"A neighbor may hear something, have concerns ... maybe a family member, or in this case the allegation is a boyfriend is concerned something's wrong," he said. "So they contact dispatch, and then an officer is sent out to investigate to see what's going on."

After determining that a possible crime had occurred, the officers entered the home with no idea what they would find. "They walked into something horrible."

Lane said it can take time to get the facts of a case straight before bringing charges.

"In every case, the charges can come at any moment," he said. "What we attempt to do is allow the evidence to direct where we go. So we wanted to make sure that the evidence directed where we went before we charge anyone. So there may be a lag sometimes."

Lane said Maxwell "had some superficial injuries, some of which were unrelated to the case in general," which is why he was taken to the hospital. Lane said there did not appear to be any issues related to mental health.

Anyone with additional information is asked to call the New Albany Police Department at 812-948-5300.

Indiana State Police has been assisting in the investigation.

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