Man pleads guilty to manslaughter in deaths of 2 women
An Indiana man on Thursday pleaded guilty but mentally ill in the 2016 strangulation death of a radio personality and her daughter.
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Bill revamps advisory group for Indiana criminal justice reform
A bill that would remake a key component of Indiana’s criminal code overhaul sailed through the House of Representatives on Tuesday with the author saying the measure will improve the efficiency of “one of the best things” that was included in the reform of the state’s criminal and sentencing statutes.
Judge advocates for competency evaluations upon arrest in post-conviction appeal
An appellate judge concurring with a one-paragraph opinion in a post-conviction case proposed reordering the way Indiana treats those who are arrested. But Judge Paul Mathias joined with judges Margret Robb and Rudolph Pyle III to affirm the denial of post-conviction relief in Charles E. Barber v. State of Indiana, 19A-PC-1234.
US Supreme Court rejects appeal in texting suicide case
The United States Supreme Court on Monday left in place the conviction of a Massachusetts woman who sent her boyfriend text messages urging him to kill himself.
Jeffersonville man incompetent again for trial in gruesome killing
A southern Indiana man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend and eating parts of her body has once again been found incompetent to stand trial in the 2014 slaying, months after his first trial ended in a mistrial. An agreement between Joseph Oberhansley’s defense attorneys and Clark County prosecutors stipulates that he is to be transported to a state hospital for competency restoration, based on two evaluations filed in December by psychiatrists.
Man fatally shot by Evansville police
A southern Indiana man was fatally shot by a police officer over the weekend after refusing to drop a handgun, police said
Involuntary commitment affirmed for ‘gravely disabled and dangerous’ man
The Indiana Court of Appeals has affirmed the involuntary temporary commitment for a man found to be gravely disabled and dangerous to himself and others, finding clear and convincing evidence supported the finding.
COA upholds GBMI ruling in deadly Monument Circle attack
A man found guilty but mentally ill of a Monument Circle attack that left one person dead has lost his appeal of his convictions and sentence, including his appeal of the finding that he could appreciate the wrongfulness of his conduct.
Hill joins coalition urging Senate to keep fentanyl as Schedule I drug
Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill has joined a coalition urging the Senate Judiciary Committee to pass legislation that would continue to classify fentanyl as a Schedule I drug.
‘Children are children’: Coalition forms after legislative attempt to lower waiver age
The Children’s Policy and Law Initiative of Indiana and more than 20 nonprofits and community groups have joined together to form the Indiana Coalition for Youth Justice, which advocates for reform in the juvenile justice system so that it offers treatment, programs and interventions that are age-appropriate, fairly applied and result in the best possible outcomes for Indiana children and public safety.
‘Kid from a cornfield’: Goff brings community mentality to Supreme Court bench
He describes himself as “a kid from a cornfield.” And for Justice Christopher Goff, ties to his cornfield community run deep.
Vanderburgh Co. man loses appeal of sexual misconduct convictions, sentence
A southern Indiana man sentenced to 15 years after being convicted of sexual misconduct with two teenage girls failed to find relief at the Indiana Court of Appeals.
Justices weigh murder case from 2000 involving 15-year-old
A decades-old murder case was considered by the Indiana Supreme Court on Thursday during oral arguments where parties debated whether the former teen defendant was prejudiced by his counsel’s failure to present mitigating evidence about his mental illness at the time of the offense.
Murder, insanity appeal focuses on police interrogation, Miranda
“I’m done talking,” Bargersville criminal defense attorney Stacy Uliana repeated before a panel of appellate judges on behalf of her client, Joshua Risinger. Those statements Risinger made to police interrogators who continued to question him form the basis of his appeal.
Lawyers: Man accused in ex-lover’s killing not fit for trial
Attorneys for a Jeffersonville man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend and eating parts of her body are seeking psychiatric competency evaluations for their client, whose first murder trial ended in a mistrial.
COA to hear insanity murder case at Batesville High School
A traveling panel of the Indiana Court of Appeals will head southeast this week to hear oral argument in a murder case that considers Indiana’s legal standard for insanity.
Disabled man’s unexplained injuries spark lawsuit against Marion County Jail
An intellectually disabled Indianapolis man who suffered unexplained injuries and allegedly was not given his medication while incarcerated in the Marion County Jail has filed a lawsuit against the Marion County Sheriff’s office, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and several individual officers and staff.
Former retreat now addiction center in southern Indiana
A former corporate retreat near Henryville in southern Indiana has reopened as a drug addiction treatment center. The Wooded Glen Recovery Center started taking patients during September. Community leaders joined executives of treatment provider Summit BHC for an opening ceremony this past week.
New study: Opioid crisis cost US economy $631B over 4 years
The opioid crisis cost the U.S. economy $631 billion from 2015 through last year — and it may keep getting more expensive, according to a study released Tuesday by the Society of Actuaries.
Richmond school shooter’s mom faces felony charges
Numerous felony referrals have been filed against the mother of a 14-year-old boy who shot his way into a Richmond, Indiana middle school last December then killed himself after exchanging gunfire with officers inside.