Murder trial in officer’s 1980 killing moved to summer
A man’s murder trial in the 1980 shooting death of an off-duty northwestern Indiana police officer has been moved to this summer.
Murder
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US soldier charged in wife’s killing flees to Thailand
A 21-year-old U.S. soldier is accused of flying to Indianapolis from Colorado to kill his estranged wife, then dumping her body in a trash bin and fleeing to Thailand.
COA overturns felony murder charge in overdose death
A man who provided drugs that ultimately resulted in a woman’s overdose death will not face a felony murder charge after the Indiana Court of Appeals found precedent did not stretch far enough to include his actions.
Split COA affirms admission of dead eyewitness’ video testimony
A split Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed a man’s conviction for voluntary manslaughter after he fatally shot his fiancé, finding, among other things, no abuse of discretion in the admission of video testimony from a since-deceased eyewitness.
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.
Admission of evidence in teen’s murder case not an abuse of discretion, COA rules
A man convicted of murder as a teen unsuccessfully argued before the Indiana Court of Appeals that evidence in his case was erroneously admitted, with the appellate court instead finding the trial court did not abuse its discretion.
‘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.
Competency to be reviewed for man charged in 2 slayings
Competency evaluations will be reviewed for a man charged in the fatal shootings of a woman whose body was found in an abandoned rural central Indiana farmhouse and a man found slain at a nature preserve in Anderson.
Justices take 2 cases, deny 18, split over 2
Indiana Supreme Court Justices granted transfer in two cases last week concerning a father convicted of killing his infant daughter with a pillow and a piecemeal child in need of services adjudication.
Mishawaka teen accused in pregnant classmate’s murder appears in court
An Indiana judge has entered a preliminary not guilty plea for a high school football player accused of killing 17-year-old schoolmate Breana Rouhselang, who was pregnant with his child. The St. Joseph County judge also denied bail Tuesday for 16-year-old Aaron Trejo, who’s charged as an adult with murder and feticide.
Mishawaka teen charged with killing pregnant schoolmate
An Indiana high school football player told investigators that he killed a 17-year-old schoolmate because he was angry that she waited so long to tell him she was pregnant with his child that it was too late to get an abortion, authorities said Monday. Aaron Trejo, 16, was charged as an adult with murder in the Sunday killing of Breana Rouhselang and the fetus.
Albion man pleads guilty in death of toddler
A 42-year-old Albion man has pleaded guilty to murder in the battering death of a 2½-year-old girl he was babysitting. Trevor Wert entered the plea last week in Noble Superior Court after admitting to striking Railee Ewing's head and face multiple times and kicking her in the buttocks as she was trying to leave a bathroom, sending her into the bathroom door frame.
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.
Justices consider taking case involving death of baby
The Indiana Supreme Court heard argument Thursday morning in a case involving the death of a baby, hearing testimony as to whether the baby’s father claimed the child died accidentally.
Judge denies new trial in off-duty officer’s 1980 death
A judge has denied a request for a new trial for an alleged getaway driver convicted in the 1980 shooting death of an off-duty northwestern Indiana police officer. James Hill was sentenced to 47 years in prison in October after a jury earlier convicted him of murder in perpetuation of robbery and attempted robbery, and Judge Salvador Vasquez determined there was no need for a new trial.
Murder convictions affirmed, remanded for sentencing statement
Indiana Supreme Court justices affirmed a man’s two murder convictions, finding his Miranda rights were not violated and that his sentence was appropriate. However, the high court remanded for a more specific sentencing statement as required.
Murder conviction after drug deal gone wrong stands
The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed a man’s conviction of two counts of murder despite his arguments that one of the deaths was unforeseeable at the time of the drug-deal gone wrong in South Bend.
Divided justices uphold guilty but mentally ill verdict in Southport pastor’s murder
A bench verdict of guilty but mentally ill against a woman twice convicted — and twice cleared by reason of insanity – in the 2012 shooting of a Southport pastor will stand after a majority of the Indiana Supreme Court found sufficient demeanor evidence to reject the woman’s insanity defense. But the two-justice dissent pointed to testimony from three experts to support their opinion that Lori Barcroft was unable to appreciate the wrongfulness of her conduct at the time of Jaman Iseminger’s murder.
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.
Justices debate Indian control of land in Oklahoma
The U.S. Supreme Court is debating whether an Indian tribe retains control over a vast swath of eastern Oklahoma in a case involving a Native American who was sentenced to death for murder.