Virginia Supreme Court clears Indiana man in 1975 rape
The Supreme Court of Virginia has cleared an Indiana man in the 1975 rape of a Virginia woman, issuing a writ of actual innocence Thursday based on DNA evidence.
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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.
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.
Police: New DNA law leads to arrest in January trailer theft case
A new law that requires police to collect DNA from people facing felony charges has led to arrest in an eastern Indiana theft case, police said.
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.
COA reverses firearm conviction after erroneous continuance
An Evansville firearm conviction against a convicted felon must be reversed after the Indiana Court of Appeals found a trial court erred in granting the state’s request for a continuance six days before trial.
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.
February trial set for Indiana man charged in 1988 slaying
A judge has set a Feb. 11 trial date for an Indiana man charged in the 1988 abduction, rape and killing of an 8-year-old girl. John D. Miller, of Grabill, is charged with murder and child molestation in the killing of April Tinsley.
Indiana man arraigned in 1988 killing of 8-year-old girl
An Indiana man charged in the 1988 rape and murder of an 8-year-old girl has been arraigned in her slaying. An Allen County judge entered a not guilty plea for 59-year-old John D. Miller Thursday morning and assigned him a public defender.
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.
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.
Indiana State Police use new DNA software for crimes
Indiana State Police are catching criminals using new software that has the ability to analyze evidence containing the DNA of multiple people.
Indiana collecting more DNA samples after new law
A new Indiana law is adding thousands of new samples to the state’s DNA database. The Indiana State Police lab has had an average of 4,200 DNA samples tested each month this year through March, up from 1,100 a month last year.
Expansion of DNA database could help catch Delphi teens’ killer
A broader DNA database is helping police find suspects to unsolved crimes. Perhaps soon it might mean finding the man who killed Delphi teens Libby German and Abby Williams.
Indiana law for felony arrest DNA collection takes effect
Indiana authorities are now required under a new state law to collect a DNA sample from those who are arrested for a felony crime.
Man who killed IU student charged with law school 1L’s prior rape
Three years before a man raped and killed an Indiana University student in 2015, leaving her body to be found in a wooded Brown County ravine, he sexually assaulted an IU Maurer School of Law student just before she started her first year, authorities say.
Untested rape exam kits number thousands in Indiana
Like many states, Indiana has a problem — mountains of untested rape exam kits in local law enforcement agencies that contain DNA evidence potentially identifying sex offenders. Indiana’s backlog of untested kits is certainly in the thousands. Victim advocates say the question is, how many thousands?
Lawyers: Missouri prepares to execute potentially innocent man
Attorneys for a Missouri inmate scheduled for execution Tuesday warn that the state is preparing to execute a potentially innocent man.
Prosecutors hail new DNA, anti-drug laws
Indiana prosecutors joined Gov. Eric Holcomb Thursday as he signed two bills prosecutors said are essential to law enforcement’s ability to build criminal cases.
Rape charge against Indiana man dismissed after DNA testing
An Indiana man won't stand trial for a second time on rape and criminal deviate conduct charges filed a quarter-century ago.