Boston bombing jury has question hours into deliberations
Jurors considering the fate of Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev asked a complicated question Thursday on the first full day of deliberations.
Murder
Articles
COA issues new opinion in bail case involving self-defense claim
The Indiana Court of Appeals has issued a new opinion in its decision involving a man charged with murder who sought to be released on bail, but was denied. The judges again held that James Satterfield should be allowed to present evidence of self-defense at a new bail hearing.
Reporter may need to testify, interview notes remain private
A northern Indiana judge has ruled a newspaper reporter does not have to turn over notes and recordings from an interview she conducted with a man accused of murder and the suspect's mother. But Elkhart Circuit Judge Terry Shewmaker said she does have to be available to testify as a rebuttal witness.
Split 7th Circuit allows death penalty challenge asserting intellectual disability
A killer sentenced in Texas and awaiting execution on federal death row in Terre Haute will be allowed to proceed with efforts to present new evidence of intellectual disability that would make him ineligible for capital punishment, a 7th Circuit Court of Appeals en banc review determined in a 6-5 opinion.
Court OKs admission of tweets, reverses criminal gang activity conviction
In a case of first impression regarding the authentication of social media posts, the Indiana Court of Appeals held that the testimony from the defendant’s girlfriend that the Twitter account belonged to her boyfriend, as well as content from that account, sufficiently showed the defendant was the author of its tweets.
Revised sentence modification statute not applicable in defendant’s case
A trial court did not err in denying a man’s petition to modify his sentence after finding that the current version of the sentencing modification statute is not applicable to his sentence, which he began serving in 1989. The Indiana Court of Appeals panel relied on a January decision by its colleagues to affirm the denial of Mitchell Swallows’ petition.
Judge may sequester house blast jury during deliberations
The judge who'll preside over one defendant's murder trial in a deadly Indianapolis house explosion says he may sequester jurors during deliberations.
Wiretap evidence properly admitted at murder trial
The Indiana Court of Appeals upheld a man’s conviction of murdering his stepfather, finding that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting wiretap evidence in which the defendant told a friend he was involved in the killing.
Brothers’ murder convictions upheld by COA
Two brothers convicted in the murder of a man with whom they previously had an altercation are not entitled to a new trial based on one juror’s concerns for her safety after recognizing someone sitting in the gallery, the Indiana Court of Appeals held Wednesday.
Long odds for insanity defense in theater shooting trial
The parents of Colorado theater shooter James Holmes joined the parents of his victims in line on a gray and drizzly Monday morning before entering the courthouse where lawyers prepared to declare why he should be executed or spend the rest of his life in a mental hospital.
Boston Marathon bomber’s lawyer urges jury to spare his life
A lawyer for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev urged a jury Monday to spare the young man's life, portraying him as "a good kid" who was led astray by his belligerent older brother.
Justices affirm LWOP sentence, admission of suicide note
A southern Indiana man challenging his robbery and murder convictions and sentence to spend the rest of his life in prison lost his appeal before the Indiana Supreme Court Thursday. The justices rejected the man’s claim that his sentence should be reduced to a term of years.
Death penalty sought in suspected serial killings
Prosecutors in Crown Point are seeking the death penalty against a Gary man charged in the slayings of two women and suspected in the deaths of five others.
Court must consider man’s self-defense claim at new bail hearing
A defendant accused of murder must be allowed to present evidence and witnesses at a bail hearing in an endeavor to rebut the state’s burden that the defendant likely committed murder, the Indiana Court of Appeals held Thursday. Since that did not happen in James Satterfield’s case, the judges remanded the matter for further proceedings.
Man gets life sentence for Waynesville quadruple murder
A southern Indiana man found guilty in the deaths of a couple and two of their friends has been sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole.
Indiana man convicted in 2 killings to get life in prison
A northern Indiana man is set to spend the rest of his life in prison without parole for the killings of his brother and sister-in-law.
SCOTUS says lawyer’s brief absence doesn’t merit retrial
The Supreme Court of the United States says a Michigan man convicted of murder and armed robbery does not deserve a new trial even though his lawyer was absent for 10 minutes during the original trial.
Indiana high court won’t review conviction in parent deaths
The state Supreme Court won't consider an eastern Indiana man's appeal of his double-murder conviction in his parents' killings.
‘Elkhart Four’ convictions put new spotlight on felony murder statute
Three teens convicted of felony murder have asked the Indiana Supreme Court to overturn their convictions because they did not directly kill the victim.
Indianapolis man gets 37 years in Henry County killing
A 35-year-old Indianapolis man has been sentenced to 37 years in prison for using a shotgun to kill another Indianapolis man in Henry County.