Lafayette woman gets 55 years in 3-year-old’s beating death
A northwestern Indiana woman convicted of murder in the beating death of her 3-year-old son was sentenced Tuesday to 55 years in prison.
Child Abuse
Articles
COA rules for DCS in negligence complaint after dad wasn’t notified of injury reports
An Indiana father who wasn’t notified that the Indiana Department of Child Services assessed allegations of abuse and neglect until two years after his twins were injured couldn’t convince the Court of Appeals of Indiana that the agency should be found negligent.
RFRA defense fails to stop child abuse prosecution
A Lawrence County man tried to defend himself against child abuse charges by asserting his right to religious freedom, but the Court of Appeals of Indiana found the state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act did not apply in his case because the prosecution demonstrated it had chosen the least restrictive means to advance the state’s compelling interest in protecting children.
COA affirms for mom in false reporting child abuse case brought against father, girlfriend
The Court of Appeals of Indiana has upheld a nearly $300,000 judgment in favor of a mother who sued her ex-husband and his new girlfriend for making a false claim of child abuse against her.
Mother’s neglect of dependent resulting in death conviction upheld
A woman convicted of felony neglect of a dependent resulting in death after she left her infant son in the care of his father, who she knew had previously expressed thoughts of harming the child, did not find relief from the Court of Appeals of Indiana.
COA: Trial court didn’t err in child porn case
A split Court of Appeals of Indiana has determined a trial court didn’t err when it sentenced a Dubois County man to 21 years in prison after finding thousands of videos depicting child pornography on a hard drive in his home.
Obstruction of justice bill signed into law
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb has signed into law a bill that aims to foster a more efficient legal process for domestic violence and child abuse cases where witnesses are likely to fail to appear or not testify truthfully.
Couple facing TPR, felony charges for ‘biblical’ discipline suing DCS, using RFRA as defense
A southern Indiana couple facing both criminal charges and the termination of their parental rights due to allegations of unreasonable discipline against their children are seeking to use Indiana’s controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act to end, or at least pause, the litigation against them.
Senate committee advances bill giving intervention rights to ‘kinship caregivers’
The Indiana Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 410 on Wednesday, a measure designed to give “kinship caregivers” the right to intervene in termination of parental rights cases.
Senate advances bill to amend obstruction statute, but keeps lawyers’ exemption
A proposed bill that would have removed lawyers’ exemption against obstruction of justice charges has passed out of an Indiana Senate committee, but the provision regarding lawyers was stripped in an amendment.
Magistrate denies bail for 2 Indiana women in boy’s killing
A magistrate has denied bail for two northwest Indiana women charged with murdering a 10-year-old boy whose body had so many injuries a prosecutor said he was the defendants’ “punching bag.”
Indianapolis man sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for child sex abuse
A thrice-convicted Indiana sex offender has been sentenced to four decades in federal prison for child sexual exploitation and creating and trafficking videos of child sexual abuse, the U.S. Department of Justice has announced.
Monroe Co. couple sentenced to federal prison for child sexual exploitation
A Monroe County husband and wife have each been sentenced to federal prison following their convictions for sexual exploitation of five children in their care.
Justices affirm convictions, LWOP sentence for man convicted in toddler’s death
An Anderson man convicted of torturing a toddler before killing her and seriously injuring the child’s brother has failed in his direct appeal of his convictions and life without parole sentence.
COA again knocks down law limiting deposition of alleged child victims
For at least the fourth time, the Indiana Court of Appeals has found a law passed by the Indiana General Assembly in 2020 which limited defendants’ ability to depose alleged victims of molestation “impermissibly conflicts” with the Indiana Rules of Trial Procedure.
COA again strikes down statute limiting depositions of alleged child sex abuse victims
The Indiana Court of Appeals has once again ruled against a statute limiting the deposition of alleged victims in child molesting cases, finding that the Indiana Trial Rules take precedence over the statute’s procedural elements.
7th Circuit upholds de facto life sentence for ‘shocking, horrific’ child sex abuse
A man convicted of “horrific” sexual and other abuse against his son failed to convince the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals that a federal judge erred in imposing a de facto life sentence.
Appellate court upholds 30-year sentence for babysitter in infant’s death
A decades-long sentence will stand for a northeastern Indiana babysitter who lied to police about knowing what caused the fatal injuries to a baby in her care who later died following a brain bleed.
COA strikes down law limiting depositions of alleged child sex abuse victims
The law enacted in 2020 received widespread support from lawmakers and prosecutors but had been challenged by the defense bar.
Kids’ Voice formalizes $5.4 million CASA/GAL contract with Indianapolis
Kids’ Voice of Indiana has signed a contract with the city of Indianapolis to provide guardian ad litem and court appointed special advocate services to Marion Superior Courts through the end of 2023, with the nonprofit set to receive $5.4 million for the remainder of 2021.