COA remands to reconsider resentencing bid
The Indiana Court of Appeals found that prosecutorial consent was not required for an offender’s third sentence modification petition after an amended state statute removed that requirement in 2015.
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Hill asks SCOTUS to reinstate death penalty for murderer Baer
Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill is asking the nation’s highest court to reinstate the death penalty against a man convicted of killing a Madison County woman and her 4-year-old daughter, arguing the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals failed to properly defer to state court rulings when it overturned his death sentence earlier this year.
Sessions: Trump administration efforts reducing violent crime
Speaking to a group of nearly 600 Hoosier law enforcement officers at the 2018 Indiana Law Enforcement Conference on Thursday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions touted Trump administration efforts that he said reduced violent crime in dozens of cities.
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.
Ex-prosecutor who withheld recanted testimony suspended
The Indiana Supreme Court suspended a former Porter County deputy prosecutor from the practice of law for 18 months for withholding from the defense evidence that an alleged victim said he had been coached to lie and had recanted allegations of child molestation.
Vigo prosecutor: Officers justified for firing during shootout
Two police officers won’t face criminal charges for firing on a man who authorities say shot and killed a western Indiana police officer during an exchange of gunfire.
Indiana had record number of drug overdose deaths in 2017
A preliminary federal report finds Indiana had a record number of drug overdose deaths last year, as more than 1,800 people succumbed to overdoses. Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia and New Jersey saw some of the nation’s biggest spikes in drug overdose deaths last year.
Elkhart wrongful conviction case latest in county’s justice system
An effort to exonerate a man with limited mental capacity who was convicted of murder 13 years ago is the latest in a string of criminal cases that have put a spotlight on the extraordinary number of wrongful convictions in Elkhart County.
Prosecutors cite ethics rules to Hill in abortion lawsuit
Three Indiana prosecutors are renewing their calls for Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill to concede on their behalf the merits of lawsuit that blocked a 2018 abortion law and told the AG's staff in an email that Hill is obligated under the Indiana Rules of Professional Conduct to follow their directive as his clients. Hill, however, maintains he is authorized to defend the statute on behalf of his "ultimate client:" the people of Indiana.
Federal courts propose broad evidence, civil, bankruptcy rule changes
Proposed federal court rule changes released for public comment Wednesday would impose new duties on prosecutors who seek to introduce evidence of a criminal defendant’s prior crimes and on lawyers involved in depositions, among other changes.
Prosecutors shift focus to fraud charges in Manafort trial
After three days of dramatic and even salacious testimony in the trial of Paul Manafort, prosecutors on Thursday returned to the nuts and bolts of their case against the former Trump campaign chairman as they sought to show he obtained millions of dollars in bank loans under false pretenses.
Deputy prosecutor named new LaGrange Circuit judge
LaGrange County deputy prosecutor William R. Walz IV has been appointed to the LaGrange Circuit Court. Gov. Eric Holcomb selected Walz to succeed Judge J. Scott VanDerbeck, who retired June 1. VanDerbeck plans to serve as a senior judge and work as a mediator.
COA: Filing errors don’t reverse probation revocation
Errors made in petition filing made by a deputy prosecutor rather than the director of a community corrections program were not sufficient to reverse the revocation of a man’s probation, the Indiana Court of Appeals determined Wednesday.
Opioid summit focuses on treatment, best judicial practices
Almost 1,000 people including judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, law enforcement officers, community leaders and medical professionals on Wednesday attended the Statewide Opioid Summit: A Medication Assisted Treatment and Addictions Primer for Justice Professionals.
Sigler appointed special prosecutor in Hill investigation
Daniel Sigler, a senior prosecuting attorney from Fort Wayne, has been appointed special prosecutor as part of the investigation into sexual misconduct allegations surrounding Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill.
AG Hill fights sexual harassment allegations, launches separate challenges
Since a memo was released detailing Curtis Hill’s alleged sexual misconduct at a party celebrating the end of the 2018 legislative session, the Indiana Attorney General has continued to fight back, even as calls for his resignation persist. This week, a nonprofit for his legal defense was announced.
Indy autopsies by coroner fired in Chicago reviewed
An out-of-state consultant will review the work in Indiana of a part-time forensic pathologist who was fired in Chicago last year after his work was called into question.
Court asked to deny Hill’s request to stop investigation
The Marion County Prosecutor’s office pushed back today against Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill’s attempt to squash the appointment of a special prosecutor, saying his motion had “fatal flaws” and he was making a “dubious proposition.”
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.