Public comment invited on proposed pretrial services rules
A series of proposed rules concerning pretrial services is up for public review and comment, the Indiana Judicial Conference Board of Directors has announced.
Criminal Case
Articles
Federal judge tosses conviction in IU student’s murder for ineffective counsel
The man convicted in the May 2000 murder of Indiana University student Jill Behrman has been ordered released from prison after a federal judge granted him habeas relief. In reaching that decision, the Southern Indiana District Court determined the Indiana Court of Appeals improperly evaluated the defendant’s allegations of prejudice.
Man who confessed to killing previously ruled suicide gets 37-year sentence
An Indiana man who walked into a police station to confess to killing a woman in Illinois when he lived there five years earlier has been sentenced to 37 years in prison. The Terre Haute woman’s death previously had been ruled a suicide.
Fort Wayne officer won’t be charged in man’s fatal shooting
A Fort Wayne police officer who fatally shot a man after a police chase won’t face charges in the shooting. The driver was fatally shot May 22 after a police chase ended when he crashed his car.
Dallas officer who fatally shot neighbor faces sentencing
The same jury that convicted a white Dallas police officer of murder in the fatal shooting of her black neighbor returns to court Wednesday to consider her sentence — a penalty that could be anywhere from five years to life in prison.
The prosecution rests: Curry steps down
With a voice that sometimes came close to breaking, Terry Curry announced he was resigning as Marion County Prosecutor on Sept. 23, saying his health and desire to spend more time with his family forced him to make the difficult decision to leave the job he loves.
Counties prepare for pretrial release reform
As 2019 draws to a close, judicial officials across Indiana are preparing for a change coming Jan. 1. On that day, Criminal Rule 26, which dictates new pretrial release protocols, will be effective statewide.
Marion County halts simple marijuana possession prosecutions
Simple possession of marijuana will no longer be prosecuted in Indianapolis courts, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office has announced. Acting Prosecutor Ryan Mears said Monday the office will no longer file charges against defendants accused of possessing less than 1 ounce, or roughly 30 grams, of marijuana.
Summit to address pretrial release practices as bail reform looms
Representatives from all 92 Indiana counties will gather in Indianapolis next week for a team-based training event on pretrial release practices in criminal cases.
Indiana boy, 15, sentenced in uncle’s death after house fire
A 15-year-old southern Indiana boy has been sentenced to 17½ years in prison after pleading guilty in a house fire that resulted in his uncle’s death.
COA: Gun, drug evidence from home detention search admissible
A man convicted of illegally possessing a gun in the residence of a home detainee lost an argument that evidence discovered during a search of the home should be suppressed.
Man guilty of murder in shooting death of 1-year-old
A judge has convicted an Indianapolis man in the fatal shooting of a 1-year-old girl and the wounding of her 19-year-old aunt.
Suspended lawyer facing theft counts in 4 counties wanted again
The suspended Greenwood lawyer accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from disabled and special-needs clients is again facing a warrant for his arrest, this time for failing to appear as ordered at a hearing in one of the multiple felony theft cases he faces.
Police arrest Gary council leader over firing shots at teens
Police in northwestern Indiana have arrested the Gary City Council president on allegations he fired a gun at two teenagers he suspected of stealing his car and taking one of them back to Gary.
State lawmaker accused of defamation, slander
A former candidate for Marion County Sheriff is accusing a state lawmaker of defamation and slander for comments the legislator made in a committee hearing earlier this year.
Pharmacy owner sentenced to 33 months for making over-potent drugs
The former owner and CEO of Pharmakon Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Noblesville was sentenced Wednesday to 33 months in prison for manufacturing and selling drugs that were as much as 25 times more potent than they should have been.
Ex-official pleads guilty in Gary convention center embezzlement
A former official has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $12,000 from the financially troubled Genesis Convention Center in northwestern Indiana.
COA affirms child molesting conviction in ‘drumbeat repetition’ appeal
A man convicted of child molesting failed to convince the Indiana Court of Appeals on Wednesday that testimony referring to the victim’s out-of-court statements should have been excluded at trial.
Suspended judge involved in shooting moves for reinstatement
The suspended Clark Circuit Court judge who pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery for his role in an Indianapolis shooting that also wounded a second southern Indiana jurist has asked to be reinstated to the bench because doing so “is in the best interest of the Clark County judicial system.”
Dillinger family members apply again to exhume his grave
Family members of 1930s gangster John Dillinger have submitted a new application to exhume his Indianapolis gravesite. Other Dillinger descendants and Crown Hill Cemetery object to the proposed exhumation.