Two defendants face deadly weapon counts, while all four face charges tied to the victim’s pregnancy.
NOBLESVILLE, Ind. — Four women charged after a pregnant Qdoba worker was assaulted in Fishers are scheduled for pretrial conferences July 30, moving the case from arrest filings into the next stage of Hamilton County court proceedings.
The defendants, Aniyah Gooch, Dajah Gooch, Darrique Jackson and Armoniah Malone, all entered preliminary not guilty pleas after their arrests. Prosecutors say the case began May 17 at a restaurant on East 96th Street, where a personal dispute moved behind the counter and ended with the pregnant worker cut, struck and allegedly kicked in the stomach.
The most serious counts are filed against Aniyah Gooch and Dajah Gooch. Both are charged with battery by means of a deadly weapon and battery resulting in bodily injury to a pregnant woman. Court summaries also list additional battery counts for each. Aniyah Gooch faces a separate possession of marijuana charge after police said they found a small amount during a vehicle search. Jackson and Malone are charged with battery resulting in bodily injury to a pregnant woman, with Jackson also listed in some records with an additional battery count. The charges remain allegations, and no defendant has been convicted. The bond amounts set after the initial appearance show how the court separated the defendants at the start of the case. Aniyah Gooch and Dajah Gooch were each held on $50,000 bond. Jackson’s bond was set at $10,000, and Malone’s was set at $7,500. Those amounts followed prosecutors’ statements about the alleged use of knives and the victim’s pregnancy. The next hearings give defense attorneys and prosecutors a chance to discuss evidence, deadlines, possible motions and trial readiness before the cases reach the jury trial settings now listed for Sept. 22.
The probable cause account says Fishers police Officer Madison McPherson responded after the victim reported the assault at the Qdoba in the 8200 block of East 96th Street. The victim told police that all four women assaulted her after entering the restaurant and coming behind the counter. She said Aniyah Gooch and Dajah Gooch had small knives and tried to stab her in the stomach. McPherson wrote that the victim said the women failed to stab her stomach, but she suffered a cut to her left hand and was hit in the face multiple times.
The victim also told police she was one month pregnant. Public reports said she had scratches to her face and forehead and a laceration across her left hand consistent with an injury from a sharp object. She later told reporters that she used her hands to protect herself. “They was trying to stab me in my stomach,” she said. “I had to protect myself.” The public court record does not include a full medical timeline, and authorities have not released a detailed statement about the pregnancy since the arrests.
Investigators have described the motive as a dispute over a man. A Fishers police public information officer said two of the women argued about a boyfriend, who was the ex of one woman and the current boyfriend of the other. The victim told reporters she had a conversation with Aniyah Gooch earlier that day and believed the pregnancy was part of the conflict. Police have not said the man was present during the restaurant attack. He has not been named in the charging summaries reviewed publicly.
The case also includes an allegation about what happened after the defendants left the restaurant. Deputy prosecutor Toula Guedel said in court that information in the probable cause affidavit showed one defendant livestreamed on social media afterward and said, “the baby is dead.” The statement has not been tested at trial, and public reports do not identify which defendant allegedly made it. Still, the claim gives prosecutors another piece of alleged conduct to present as the case moves through discovery.
Workplace witnesses may also become important. The victim said coworkers tried to stop the group from reaching her, but the women threatened them and pushed past. She said the fight lasted about 20 seconds before multiple people began attacking her. Those coworkers could help establish who crossed the counter, who used force, whether knives were visible and whether the defendants acted together. Public reports have not said whether restaurant surveillance video exists or whether police collected it.
The setting may shape how jurors understand the alleged assault. The Qdoba sits in Fishers, about 15 miles northeast of Indianapolis, along a busy commercial stretch. Prosecutors are not alleging that the fight broke out by chance between strangers. Their case says the group came to the victim’s workplace after an earlier argument and reached an area reserved for employees. That distinction could matter as lawyers argue whether the facts show a planned confrontation, a spontaneous fight or different levels of conduct by each defendant.
For the victim, the case remains tied to both the physical injuries and the fear she described during the assault. “It really should have been some grown woman stuff,” she said after the arrests. “It ain’t no pressure about no boy. But they’re getting what they get, so I’m not in jail, they are.” Her comments may not decide the legal questions, but they explain why the case drew attention beyond Hamilton County.
The next milestone is July 30, when the court is expected to take up pretrial matters. Jury trials are listed for Sept. 22, unless the schedule changes or the cases are resolved before then.
Author note: Last updated June 17, 2026.