Man accused in 4 killings loses fight to avoid death penalty
A northeastern Indiana judge has rejected efforts by a man awaiting trial in four slayings to avoid a possible death penalty in the case.
Allen County
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Supreme Court deciding commercial courts’ fate
After a nearly 3-year pilot project, the specialized dockets in six Indiana counties are getting positive feedback from litigants in business disputes.
Dad who beat son, 6, loses parental privilege defense appeal
An Allen County father who repeatedly struck his 6-year-old son in the face causing serious bruising after he accused the child of stealing his cigarettes had no viable claim of parental privilege shielding him from battery convictions.
Suspended special needs trust lawyer faces more theft accusations
A suspended Greenwood lawyer criminally charged with stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from his former special needs trust clients around Indiana has been accused in new civil lawsuits of draining another $108,600 from several more trust funds. The additional alleged misappropriations by Kenneth Shane Service drive the alleged missing funds to more than $318,600.
COA: Evidence not inadmissible hearsay in domestic battery
The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed a man’s domestic battery and strangulation convictions when it found his arguments failed to prove that admitted evidence was inadmissible hearsay.
Indiana man who withheld HIV status pleads guilty again
A northern Indiana man has pleaded guilty in a third county to having sex with women and not telling them he was HIV-positive. Travis Spoor, 39, of Silver Lake, pleaded guilty Monday in St. Joseph County to malicious mischief.
Man’s 33-year sentence, admission of heroin evidence upheld
A man who allegedly held two women against their will and beat them in his Fort Wayne home and later was found holding heroin lost his appeal Friday. An appellate court rejected his challenge to the admission of evidence against him as well as his appeal of his aggregate 33½-year sentence.
Ex-New Haven City Court judge agrees to lifetime judicial ban
A northern Indiana city court judge who resigned at the end of the year after several judicial misconduct charges were filed against him has agreed to never again serve as a judge, the Indiana Supreme Court announced.
Fort Wayne native joins Allen County bench as magistrate judge
Fort Wayne native Michael T. Douglass has been named a magistrate judge in the Allen Superior Court Civil Division, the courts announced in a statement. Douglass will join the court Jan. 22.
Public defender Bohdan named Allen Superior Court magistrate
Allen County public defender John C. Bohdan, II, has been named magistrate judge of the Allen Superior Court Misdemeanor and Traffic Division. Bohdan was selected to succeed former Magistrate David Zent, who was recently appointed to succeed retiring Allen Superior Judge John F. Surbeck, Jr. Surbeck will retire Dec. 31.
Indiana man gets 80 years in prison for Fort Wayne girl’s 1988 killing
An Indiana man has been sentenced to 80 years in prison for the 1988 abduction, rape and killing of an 8-year-old girl. An Allen County judge sentenced 59-year-old John D. Miller, of Grabill, on Friday after Miller pleaded guilty to murder and child molestation charges in April Tinsley’s long-unsolved killing.
‘Meager weight’ of mitigating factors could not overcome attorney’s deficient performance
Although the Indiana Court of Appeals agreed the relationship had broken between a Fort Wayne criminal defense attorney and his client, it did not find that the 130-year sentence handed down would have been significantly less if defense counsel had offered mitigating circumstances.
Indiana man pleads guilty to 1988 killing of 8-year-old girl
An Indiana man has pleaded guilty to the 1988 abduction, rape and killing of an 8-year-old Fort Wayne girl. John D. Miller pleaded guilty Friday to murder and child molestation charges in the long-unsolved killing of April Tinsley. A plea agreement calls for the 59-year-old Miller to serve 80 years in prison.
Magistrate DeGroote appointed to Allen Superior Court bench
Allen County Magistrate Jennifer DeGroote has been appointed by Gov. Eric Holcomb to fill an upcoming vacancy on the Allen Superior Court. DeGroote will succeed Judge Stanley A. Levine, who will retire Dec. 31.
Indiana ACLU sues East Allen Schools over LGBTQ club
The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana last week aided a group of more than 30 East Allen County high school students when it filed a lawsuit against the school corporation, claiming it had imposed “undue, unequal burdens” an LGBTQ+ organization.
Murder charges filed in Thanksgiving attack that killed 3
Prosecutors have filed three murder counts and other charges against a man in connection with a drug-related robbery that left three men dead and two others wounded at a Fort Wayne home.
COA: Defendant with transcript has no right to trial recording
A trial court’s decision to decline to provide a criminal defendant with an electronic recording of his trial has been upheld, with the Indiana Court of Appeals ruling the defendant did not have a right to the electronic copy because he already had received the trial transcript.
Felony advisory sentence doesn’t require sentencing statement, COA rules
A man arguing that a trial court abused its discretion in imposing an advisory sentence without issuing a statement lost his case when the Indiana Court of Appeals found that under Indiana code, courts are not required to issue statements for advisory felony sentences.
Allen Superior Court seeks magistrate judge to succeed Zent
The Allen Superior Court Criminal Division is accepting applications for a magistrate judge position that will open when Senior Magistrate David M. Zent becomes an Allen Superior Judge. Applications will be accepted to fill Zent’s seat in the Allen Superior Court Misdemeanor and Traffic Division through Nov. 30, with the position expected to be filled in December.
COA: Sisters separated from mother, brothers is in best interests
The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed a trial court termination of parental rights in a “most unusual circumstance” when it found the separation of two minor daughters from their brothers and mother was in the girls’ best interests.