Marion Co. Prosecutor’s Office accepting petitions for wrongful conviction reviews
The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office is officially accepting conviction review petitions as part of its new Conviction Integrity Unit.
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Texas’ longest serving death row inmate has sentence tossed
An appeals court has overturned the sentence of Texas’ longest serving death row inmate whose attorneys say has languished in prison for more than 45 years because he’s too mentally ill to be executed.
Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic gets $1M grant from Lilly Endowment
Indianapolis-based Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic has been awarded a grant of just over $1 million from Lilly Endowment’s Enhancing Opportunity Initiative, allowing the legal aid provider to bolster its assistance to individuals who are reentering society after being incarcerated.
Split 7th Circuit orders resentencing for murder defendant after ‘literally no assistance’
A convicted murderer who during sentencing received “literally no assistance from his lawyer” won resentencing after a majority of a 7th Circuit Court of Appeals panel reversed the denial of his habeas petition. A dissenting judge, however, opined that the majority’s holding improperly expands U.S. Supreme Court precedent.
AP source: Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff dies in prison
Bernie Madoff, the financier who pleaded guilty to orchestrating the largest Ponzi scheme in history, died in a federal prison early Wednesday, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.
COA allows second deposition of alleged child molesting victim
An alleged child molesting victim must be deposed by her alleged molester’s defense team again, the Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled, finding the defendant is entitled to take a second deposition as he prepares for a second trial.
Holcomb signs bill creating local JRACs for criminal justice reform
A bill to enhance criminal justice reform efforts at the local level is now law in Indiana. Gov. Eric Holcomb on Thursday signed legislation calling for the creation of county or regional justice reinvestment advisory councils.
Woman pleads guilty to striking Indianapolis protesters
An Indianapolis woman has pleaded guilty to criminal recklessness for driving her minivan into several people protesting the death of George Floyd last year.
COA rejects due process complaints, affirms probation revocation
A man claiming due process violations in the revocation of his probation will continue to serve his suspended sentence in prison after the Indiana Court of Appeals rejected his appeal.
Justices to hear arguments on order for informant to sit for face-to-face interview
An order requiring a confidential informant to sit for a face-to-face interview with defense counsel will be reviewed by the Indiana Supreme Court during oral arguments Thursday. Justices will also hear arguments on petition to transfer in a case where a defendant was erroneously released from prison then reincarcerated.
Man convicted of killing IU student Behrman denied SCOTUS review
The man convicted in the murder of Indiana University student Jill Behrman more than 20 years ago will remain in prison after the United States Supreme Court denied cert in his habeas case. The justices denied John Myers’ petition for writ of certiorari Monday.
Evansville man gets 110 years for killing wife, another man
An Evansville man convicted of fatally stabbing his estranged wife and her ex-husband has been sentenced to 110 years in prison.
Governor signs post-release mental health treatment bill
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb on Thursday signed into law a bill that will provide extra time for offenders to secure mental health treatment upon their release from the Indiana Department of Correction.
Sentence in molestation case remanded to include credit time
A man sentenced to serve 25 years in prison on a child molesting conviction has successfully challenged his sentencing judgment that lacked the more than two years of credit time for the period he was behind bars awaiting sentencing.
Hefty sentence, convictions upheld for accomplice in Avon pharmacy robbery
A man considered to be an accomplice of an armed pharmacy robber could not convince the Indiana Court of Appeals on Tuesday that his decades-long sentence was inappropriate.
Serial killer on federal death row dies at Indiana hospital
A convicted serial killer whose victims included two young boys died Sunday at a hospital in Indiana, authorities said.
1 of 2 arson convictions vacated for man who burned parole office
A man who set fire to a government building to destroy evidence of pornography constituting parole violations will have one of his arson convictions vacated after the Indiana Court of Appeals used recent caselaw to find a double jeopardy violation.
Justices: Juvenile convicted of attempted murder failed to show parent ‘essential’
When juvenile defendants are tried in adult court, parents who are also witnesses may be excluded from witness-separation orders if their children establish them as “essential” to the presentation of evidence, the Indiana Supreme Court has ruled. However, applying that holding to the facts of the case before them, justices concluded an Elkhart County teen failed to establish his mom was “essential” to his attempted murder defense.
Drug sentence remanded to reconsider term of supervised release
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has remanded an erroneous sentence for a drug conviction for the limited purpose of reconsidering the defendant’s term of supervised release.
Druidism must be recognized in Department of Correction, judge rules
Druidism could soon become a formally recognized religion within the Indiana Department of Correction after a federal judge granted injunctive relief to a prisoner who claimed his religious rights were violated by the lack of communal Druid services in the DOC.