Articles

Indiana man charged in 1988 slaying wants trial moved

An Indiana man charged in the 1988 abduction, rape and killing of an 8-year-old girl wants his trial moved to another county. John D. Miller, who is charged with the murder and molestation of April Tinsley, filed a motion Thursday seeking a change of venue. 

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Three magistrate finalists named for Lake County judgeship

Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb will select one of three magistrate judges to fill the vacancy on the Lake Superior Court created when Judge Elizabeth Tavitas was appointed to the Indiana Court of Appeals this summer. The Lake County Judicial Nominating Commission late Tuesday named magistrate judges Lisa A. Berdine, Thomas P. Hallett and Nanette K. Raduenz as finalists to succeed Tavitas in Lake Superior Court 3, family division.

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ISBA adapts, evolves to meet changing needs of attorneys

The Indiana State Bar Association is working to attract members and keep them engaged in professional and community activities. The challenge: attorneys in the middle and late stages of their career might be comfortable with the way things have always been, but younger lawyers are pushing the need for a new way to do business.

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DNA from genealogy websites leads to cold-case arrests

Using genealogy websites to crack cold cases is making headlines in Fort Wayne and around the country, but it has not been tested in court. The individuals arrested and charged with the crimes are at the beginning of their cases, and questions of privacy and DNA reliability have not been answered.

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Sex offender’s rights not violated by registration extension

An Allen County sex offender’s constitutional rights were not violated when the period of time he was required to register as a sex offender was extended after a legislative amendment enacted after he was convicted of the sex crime, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday.

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Applications open to succeed retiring Allen Judge Levine

The Allen Superior Court Judicial Nominating Commission is now accepting applications from candidates who wish to fill a second pending vacancy in the county’s superior court. Applications to succeed retiring Judge Stanley Levine will be accepted through Sept. 14.

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Allen County JNC to interview candidates to replace Surbeck

The Allen Superior Court Judicial Nominating Commission will interview seven applicants next week to fill an upcoming vacancy in the court’s Criminal Division. The applicants are vying to succeed Judge John Surbeck, one of two longtime Fort Wayne jurists who will retire at the end of the year.

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Fort Wayne settles suit challenging amplified-noise statute

Indiana’s second-largest city has settled a federal lawsuit that challenged a portion of its ordinance regulating amplified noises. Court documents filed Tuesday show the city of Fort Wayne has agreed to an injunction permanently barring it from enforcing a provision that “prohibits amplified sound, including speech, that can be heard more than 50 feet from the source.”

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Allen Judge Levine joins Surbeck in retiring; 7 to be interviewed

With more than 100 years of combined legal experience, Allen Superior judges John Surbeck Jr. and Stanley A. Levine will retire December 31, having devoted half of their careers to the bench in Fort Wayne. Seven candidates will be interviewed for Surbeck’s vacancy, which was announced in June, and applications to succeed Levine, who announced his retirement Monday, will be accepted later.

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Mom of Fort Wayne girl killed in ’88 hopes defendant gets death

The mother of an 8-year-old Fort Wayne girl who was raped and killed in 1988 wants prosecutors to seek the death penalty against the man accused of the crimes. Prosecutors on Tuesday declined to discuss whether they’ll seek the death penalty for 59-year-old John Miller in the killing of April Tinsley. But the girl’s mother, Janet Tinsley, told the Journal Gazette that she wants to be present if Miller is put to death.

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Prosecutor in Fort Wayne girl’s 1988 killing hails genealogy databases

An Indiana prosecutor who’s preparing formal charges against a man in the 1988 abduction, rape and killing of an 8-year-old Fort Wayne girl says genealogy databases are powerful new tools for investigators. Allen County Prosecutor Karen Richards said in an affidavit that investigators consulted a company that was able to narrow DNA in the Tinsley case to Miller and his brother using publicly available genealogy database research. 

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Applications open for Allen County judicial vacancy

An Allen County superior court judge will retire at the end of this year, prompting the Allen Superior Court Judicial Nominating Commission to begin the process of selecting his replacement. The vacancy will occur in December when Judge John F. Surbeck, Jr. retires from his position in the Allen Superior Court Criminal Division.

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Suspect in 1988 killing of Fort Wayne girl, 8, appears in court

A judge has given prosecutors until Thursday to formally charge a man who is being held in the 1988 slaying of an 8-year-old Fort Wayne girl. John D. Miller, 59, of Grabill was arrested Sunday on preliminary murder, child molesting and criminal confinement charges in the abduction, rape and killing of April Marie Tinsley.

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