COA: Enhanced sentence not fundamental error
A man who sought a second resentencing after his 2003 murder convictions unsuccessfully argued that he was denied fundamental due process rights 15 years after being sentenced for four counts of murder.
Murder
Articles
COA: Errant CCS judgment entry can’t void murder retrial
The Indiana Court of Appeals ruled that retrials are not barred if a judgment of conviction is erroneously entered on a chronological case summary, letting stand a murder conviction after the retrial of a man charged with the death of his girlfriend’s infant daughter.
Attempted murder case reviewed; man dies 10 months after shooting
Prosecutors are reviewing the case of an Indiana man charged with attempted murder, because the man he is accused of shooting last summer died from his injuries.
Killer’s murder, arson convictions affirmed on appeal
A Vigo County man convicted of killing a woman and then setting fires in an attempt to cover up the evidence lost his bid to have some of his convictions overturned Tuesday.
Slain woman’s parents reach settlement in insurance suit
The parents of a northwestern Indiana woman who was fatally shot in 2011 have reached a settlement with an insurance company over damages in connection with the man convicted in her killing.
Second man sentenced in South Bend shootout that killed 2
The second of six men charged in connection with a double slaying in northern Indiana has been sentenced to decades in prison.
Justices reinstate murder, drug convictions after invited error
The Indiana Supreme Court has overturned a ruling for a convicted murderer to get a new trial and instead reinstated the murder and drug convictions after determining the defendant invited the structural error that compromised his right to an impartial jury.
COA affirms 20-year sentence for robbery in fatal drug deal
A man who set up his childhood friend in a “drug deal gone bad” and was sentenced to 20 years for his conviction of Level 2 felony robbery got no relief Monday from the Indiana Court of Appeals.
Mediation halts negligence insurance question in murder
The Indiana Supreme Court is no longer tasked with providing clarification on two conflicting rulings related to insurance coverage for parties accused of acting negligently when a co-insured is accused of acting intentionally or criminally, now that the parties to the underlying case have submitted the case for mediation.
Lake Station man gets 70 years in prison for girlfriend’s death
A Lake Station man convicted of killing his girlfriend has been sentenced to 70 years in prison. Jovanni Torres, 32, was sentenced Friday to 60 years for murder and 10 years for using a firearm in the crime.
Elkhart inmate files wrongful conviction petition claiming Elkhart Police coerced his statement
Nearly 13 years after he was found guilty of a murder he claims he did not commit and following a subsequent series of failed attempts at appellate and post-conviction relief, a developmentally disabled man has petitioned the Elkhart Circuit Court to overturn his conviction on the basis of new evidence he says proves his confession was coerced and his counsel was ineffective. Andrew Royer filed a petition to vacate the judgment against him on Wednesday.
Man charged with shooting Boone deputy seeks change of venue
A man charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a Boone County sheriff’s deputy wants his trial moved. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Anthony Baumgardt, who is charged in the fatal shooting of deputy Jacob Pickett.
Gary man facing death in slayings of wife, 2 kids loses PCR bid
A Gary man sentenced to death for killing his wife and two teenage stepchildren has lost his latest attempt to overturn his conviction – a post-conviction relief petition. Lake Superior Judge Samuel Cappas and Magistrate Judge Natalie Bokota determined in a ruling issued Friday that Kevin Isom of Gary failed to establish he had ineffective counsel at his murder trial or during the appeals process.
Accomplice sentenced in kidnapping, slayings of Gary brothers
An accomplice in the 2015 kidnapping and slayings of two teenage brothers in Gary has been sentenced to 12 years in prison. Kiontay Cason, 24, apologized in court for his role in the murders of 18-year-old Arreon Lackey and 16-year-old Antonio Lackey.
Private attorneys in death penalty cases create dilemmas for judges, public defenders
Capital cases are entering what one judge calls uncharted territory, faced with determining whether an accused killer is entitled to court-appointed counsel of his choice or must be represented by a lawyer certified to defend death penalty cases.
Chicago man charged after Hammond fire killed 1, injured 2
A Chicago man faces murder and other charges in connection with an April 14 fire in Hammond that killed a woman and injured two others. Court records show 42-year-old Ronald Alan Gee also faces attempted murder and arson charges connected to the fire that killed 62-year-old Brenda Poole.
Family of Marion lynching victims opposes proposed memorial
Relatives of two black men who were lynched in 1930 in Marion say they oppose a proposed memorial honoring the two victims.
Floyd County judge: Murder convict can’t legally change name
A Floyd County judge has ruled that a man convicted of murder cannot legally change his name. Jeramy Heavrin was convicted of killing Jennifer Rose Johnson in 1994 and has had trouble keeping jobs because of the conviction since his November 2016 release.
Gary man wants review of conviction in Indiana officer’s death
A Gary man who was sentenced to life in prison without parole for fatally shooting a Gary police officer is asking a court to review his conviction. Twenty-nine-year-old Carl Le’Ellis Blount has filed a post-conviction relief petition alleging Lake County prosecutors threatened him to get him to plead guilty to murder in the 2014 shooting death of Gary Patrolman Jeffrey Westerfield.
Indiana man charged in woman’s killing waives extradition
A man charged with killing a Terre Haute woman whose body was found in her submerged SUV in in Vigo County is expected to be returned from Nevada soon to face trial on murder and other charges.