Articles

Indianapolis police major losing rank for defending convict

A high-ranking Indianapolis police officer is being stripped of his rank for writing a letter defending a man convicted of rape. Michael Jefferson had been a major who served in the command staffs of current police Chief Bryan Roach and his predecessor, but is being returned to the rank of lieutenant after writing a letter asking a judge for leniency when sentencing 58-year-old Lance Fleming, who was convicted in October of rape and attempted rape.

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Justices send dismissed post-conviction case back to COA

The Indiana Court of Appeals errantly dismissed a man’s post-conviction relief case, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled, reinstating the man’s case last week and remanding it to the lower appellate court. Justices on Tuesday granted transfer in Kenny Green v. State of Indiana, 18S-PC-562, for the purpose of reinstating Green’s PCR case in the Indiana Court of Appeals with instructions to establish a briefing schedule for review of his appeal on the merits.

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Web Exclusive: Sex abuse survivor trains lawyers, others to avoid revictimizing

After overcoming addiction, abuse and sexual harm, Sarah Hurley sought to aid women dealing with the same struggles she faced as a child. She created the White Stone Project, an organization devoted to providing survivor-led, professional training and coaching to people and organizations engaging trauma survivors. Its goal: to equip people to more effectively communicate, understand and avoid revictimizing those they work with.

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Indiana man charged in 1988 slaying wants trial moved

An Indiana man charged in the 1988 abduction, rape and killing of an 8-year-old girl wants his trial moved to another county. John D. Miller, who is charged with the murder and molestation of April Tinsley, filed a motion Thursday seeking a change of venue. 

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7th Circuit: Woman can’t sue county over worker’s sex assault

A woman serving court-ordered community service who claimed she was sexually assaulted by a Vigo County park maintenance worker lost her appeal of a judgment in favor of the county in her civil liability lawsuit Wednesday, despite what judges noted was a “horrific incident”.

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Ex-student claiming sex assault sues Butler, fraternity

A lawsuit filed by a former Butler University student-athlete alleges the university and a now-suspended fraternity failed to take necessary action to remove an allegedly known sexual predator from campus, leading to the student-athlete’s rape at a fraternity party in late 2016.

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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. 

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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.

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Harvey Weinstein arraigned on rape, criminal sex act charges

Flinching when he heard himself described as a man who used power to prey on women, disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was arraigned Friday on rape and other charges in the first criminal prosecution to result from the wave of allegations against him that sparked a national reckoning over sexual misconduct.

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COA: French Lick Resort not negligent in hotel rape

A former guest of the French Lick Resort & Casino cannot bring a negligence case against the hotel after the Indiana Court of Appeals determined the sexual attack against the guest was not foreseeable as a matter of law, making summary judgment for the resort appropriate.

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