EXCLUSIVE: Heartbroken wife of soldier lured to death by fake iPad ad reveals she warned him about deal an hour before he was shot dead and told him to take a gun

Jim Vester went to a rough neighborhood to buy an iPad he had seen advertised on Craigslist by two strangers

His wife Jamie only felt better about him going when he told her that he borrowed a gun from a friend and had it with him as he headed to the deal

His last words to Jamie were by phone when he was about to get out of the car to meet the sellers: 'I’m here, I’ve got to go, I love you'



He was shot dead by two brothers who posted the ad online

Vester, an Army veteran who served one tour in Iraq, earned an Army Achievement medal and Meritorious Service medal before his death but had not physically been given the awards by the time he died

Jamie has now been presented the awards in her husband's honor



The heartbroken wife of the Iraq veteran shot dead answering a Craigslist ad has revealed she warned him about the deal just an hour before he was killed and begged him to take a gun for protection.

Devastated Jamie Vester told MailOnline she was nervous about her husband Jim, 32, travelling to a rough part of Indianapolis to buy an iPad from two strangers.

She only felt better when he promised her he had borrowed a firearm from a friend.

Heartbreaking: Jamie Vester has told MailOnline about the harrowing hours leading up to her husband Jim's murder

Alone: Jamie warned Jim, the father of her 14-month-old son Gavin, that he should meet the sellers in a public place and she spoke to him just as he was getting out of his car for the frop off

But even though he had protection she still asked him to just ‘walk away’ if there were any problems, saying: ‘I don’t want you to get hurt over a $150 saving.’

Tragically kind-hearted Mr Vester – who was buying the iPad for his father to give to his mother for Christmas – decided to go ahead with last Wednesday’s deal because he loved getting bargains on the classified website.

Jamie spoke to him on the phone when he reached the parking lot to meet the bogus sellers and his last words to her were: ‘I’m here, I’ve got to go, I love you’.

Moments later he was shot dead, leaving Jamie without a husband and their 14-month-old son Gavin without a father.

Brothers Tyron Kincade, 19, and Tyshaune Kincade, 18, who boasted about their 'thug life' on Facebook, were charged with his murder on Tuesday.

Deal gone wrong: Brothers Tryon, 19 (left), and Tyshaune Kincade, 18 (right) were formally charged in the shooting death of 32-year-old Jim Vester after the two arranged to sell him an iPad on Craigslist

Today, Jamie spoke for the first time about the killing, from the house the couple built together.

Talking from her living room, which is decorated with Jim’s medals, military memorabilia and a Christmas tree, Jamie, 30, relived the hours leading up to her husband’s murder: ‘It was just a normal day,’ she said choking back tears.

‘Jim answered Craigslist ads all the time. He loved to get a deal, he actually got thrills off it. He would call me up and say, "I got 89 cents a pound on chicken, I bought us 20 pounds". This was just another deal to him.

‘It was not a very good side of town and he was aware of that. Jim and I talked on the phone about 10 to 20 times every day. About an hour before it happened I said to him, ‘Have you got a gun to bring’.

‘He has a license and I knew his guns were at the house and he replied "No I don’t have mine, but a friend gave me one". That made me feel better.

‘I said, "I don’t want you to get hurt over a $150 saving on an iPad. If this deal doesn’t work out for any reason I just want you to drop it. If you can’t come to an agreement, just leave it".

‘He was buying it for his dad to give to his mom, so I told him to drop it and let his dad pay full price if there were any problems at all. He’s been to deals before, thought it wasn’t worth it and just walked away.

Proper showing: Mr Vester was an Indiana National Guardsman who had completed a tour in Iraq so he was honored with an emotional military funeral

Frightening: Jamie said that after Jim returned from Iraq unscathed, she thought that she would have less to worry about with him back in America

A different kind of uniform: ¿(Jim) loved motorbikes. He had a Harley Davidson and we would always go out on it together,' Jamie said, explaining the motorcycle enthusiasts at the funeral

Paying respects: A significant crowd came for the funeral, including a number of members of the military as Jim was still an army reservist

‘That conversation was an hour before it happened. I talked to him again when he was in the parking lot just before he met them. He just said, "I’m here, I’ve got to go, I love you".

Indiana National Guards reservist Mr Vester served an 18 month tour of Iraq starting in December 2005. He came back from that unscathed.

Jamie managed to get through that period despite constant worry. Fighting back tears, she said: ‘It was very tough for me. It was hard at times, but with the help of family and friends I got through it.

‘He would contact me whenever he could. I prepared myself for anything and everything then, but I did not prepare myself for this.’

Since last week’s shooting it has come to light that the Kincade brothers are prime suspects in four similar Craiglist scams.

On those occasions, would-be bargain hunters answered advertisements and were robbed at gun point for cash and mobile phones.

Tyshaune Kincade’s cell number apparently links to all four crimes and police are now looking to file further charges against the brothers.

Better late: At Jim's funeral, Indiana National Guard commander Major General Martin Umbarger presented Jamie with two medals her husband had won before his death

Before his death: Jim had already received six Army Achievement medals, making the one Jamie received on his behalf his seventh

Proud: Jamie Vester said that the military played an important role in her husband's life

Jamie refuses to talk about her husband’s alleged killers, but she does believe it was only a matter of time before the men behind the murder killed someone.

She said: ‘He was in a public place. I tried to get him to go to a Starbucks or somewhere a little bit more public, but I think they were going to do it anyway. This was a planned robbery and something went wrong. If it wasn’t Jim it would have been someone else.

‘I just hope that people who try to do these scams on Craigslist think twice and don’t do it. I also hope that if anyone has any doubt, for any reason about a deal, just don’t go. It’s not worth it.’

The couple would have been married for nine years in June and after having their first son Gavin, they were looking forward to a long future together. The couple had previously posed for a portrait session with Sarah Beth Photography, and the same photographer attended Jim's funeral this week.



Beaming with pride, Jamie described her husband, telling how he was at his happiest when he was in the kitchen or on his motorbike.

She said: ‘Jim loved to cook. I always called him a chef, that wasn’t his profession, but he was so good.

‘I don’t cook, so he always had diner on the table. We would always have friends over and he would make great meals.

‘He loved motorbikes. He had a Harley Davidson and we would always go out on it together. He also loved the military.’

Mr Vester’s funeral on Monday attracted huge crowds including scores of military personnel. Fittingly, he was a volunteer on the Ceremonial Unit firing team and regularly took part in the services of fallen comrades.

At his own funeral Indiana National Guard commander Major General Martin Umbarger presented Jamie with two medals her husband had won before his death.

Jamie said: ‘The funeral was beautiful, I couldn’t have asked for anything more. We bought his motorcycle in and tons of memorabilia.

Together: Jamie and Jim had been married for nine years and were looking forward to a long life together

‘General Umbarger gave me two medals that he had been awarded before any of this. One was an Army Achievement medal. It was his sixth for that.

‘The other was the Meritorious Service Medal, which I think is the equivalent to the Bronze Star. He was the second most dedicated person, in terms of time, in the Ceremonial Unit, which was a volunteer service. They do funerals for other fallen soldiers and he would always volunteer.’

She added: ‘The military have been over here every day, they are always there to watch over me. They ploughed my driveway and one of the neighbours lowered the flag to half-mast for me.’

On Tuesday, Mr Vester’s mother Janice spoke exclusively to MailOnline, telling how her son was, ‘incredibly generous’. Mr Vester was buying the iPad for his father Walter to give to Janice for Christmas.

She said: ‘He was a wonderful father and a wonderful son. He loved to entertain and to help his family out. He would do anything for us. He was incredibly generous.

‘The detective on the case has kept us well informed, but I don’t want to speak about those people, I just want to talk about Jim and his life.

‘I want to speak about what a great guy he was. He loved life, he loved his family, he loved his son and he loved his wife.

‘All the military people we have spoken to have told us that he was the one who kept them in line, that they could count on Jim for everything.

‘He hadn’t always wanted to be a soldier, but the military was very good for him, it was perfect for him. He loved the military and he was very proud to serve.’

Details of the shooting have started to emerge over the last few days. A police report states Mr Vester arranged to meet someone who had advertised an iPad for sale on Craigslist at around 3.30pm in a car lot outside an apartment complex on Wyckford Drive, Indianapolis.

Jim Vester's mother (left) spoke lovingly about her slain son: 'He loved life, he loved his family, he loved his son and he loved his wife'

After exchanging texts with the seller, he was confronted by two men in their teens or early 20s.

Witnesses say they overheard Mr Vester introduce himself as ‘Jim’ and moments later another man said, ‘This is a robbery’. The second attacker was then heard, saying, ‘God damn’. Soon after there were two gunshots.

The two men were seen running away from the scene by another set of witnesses and Mr Vester staggered back to his car, before collapsing. He had been shot in the chest.

Police spoke to a friend of Mr Vester soon after his murder and he said the soldier was fully aware the area he was going to could be dangerous and had actually asked others to go with him.

Tragically no one was able to make the trip, but it is believed the friend lent him his gun.

The Kincade brothers were arrested in connection with the murder and robbery on Friday. They appeared in court on Tuesday and an automatic not guilty plea was entered on their behalf.

Police have revealed that investigators recovered a cell phone matching the number Mr Vester contacted when answering the Craigslist ad.

The phone was inside a vehicle Tyshaune Kincade was driving when he was stopped by police. That same number was also stored inside Kincade’s mother’s cell phone with a photo of her son assigned to the contact.

During their search of the Kincade’s home, the teens’ mother also showed detectives where she kept her handgun. She said it was missing and the only people able to access it were her sons.

Since Mr Vester’s death an online campaign to help his family has raised more than $87,000. To donate to the family's youcaring campaign, click here .