ANDERSON, Ind. — The Madison County Prosecutor’s Office will seek the death penalty in the criminal case of the suspect in the murder of Elwood Police Officer Noah Shahnavaz.

The announcement came at a Wednesday morning news conference. Madison County Prosecutor Rodney Cummings will seek the death penalty against Carl Roy Webb Boards II, 42, the man accused of shooting and killing Officer Shahnavaz during a traffic stop on July 31.

Earlier in August, Madison County Prosecutor Rodney Cummings announced he will request an additional $50,000 from the county’s 2023 budget for the anticipated filing.

As the Herald Bulletin reported, Cummings told the Madison County Council that a death penalty case could cost up to $400,000.

Boards has been charged with murder, two counts of resisting law enforcement, and serious violent felon in possession of a firearm.

The prosecutor’s office originally said it would seek a sentence of life imprisonment without parole. The office said it talked to Shahnavaz’s family before deciding whether to seek the death penalty against Boards.

Boards shot at Indianapolis police officers in 2006 and received a 25-year aggravated sentence in connection to the incident. He was released from Indiana Department of Corrections custody in 2019.

Madison County Prosecutor Rodney Cummings, Chief Deputy Prosecutor Andrew Hanna, Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter, Elwood Police Chief Jason Brizendine, and the family of Officer Noah Shahnavaz were in attendance during Wednesday’s announcement.