Justices to hear sentencing, sex offender, parental rights cases
The Indiana Supreme Court will consider sentencing practices, sex offender restrictions and parental rights when it hears oral arguments in three cases Thursday.
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Justices again will consider fixed-sentence plea modifications
The Indiana Supreme Court will once again consider when, if ever, fixed-sentence plea agreements can be modified. The court granted transfer to a second sentence-modification appeal after recently hearing a similar case.
7th Circuit upholds resentencing in mortgage fraud scheme
A northern Indiana couple convicted in a mortgage fraud scheme has lost its second appeal of the spouses’ sentences, with the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in its second opinion in the case that the district court did not err in calculating loss or imposing time served.
Fixed-plea modification bill passes legislature
A bill meant to codify longstanding sentencing practices related to modification of plea agreements is headed to the governor after it passed the Indiana House of Representatives on Tuesday.
Week after argument, justices uphold denial of continuance, sentence
A Floyd County man convicted of attempted residential entry and resisting law enforcement lost his appeal of his sentence and the denial of his motion for a continuance. The Indiana Supreme Court upheld the trial court’s ruling only one week after hearing oral arguments in the case.
Pharmacist in meningitis outbreak gets 8 years in prison
A Massachusetts pharmacist convicted for his role in a deadly 2012 meningitis outbreak fought through sobs as he apologized to victims and their families Wednesday, including those in Indiana, before being sentenced to eight years in prison.
Justices hear plea modification case as Senate acts on similar bill
Before 2014, it was a cut-and-dry issue: fixed-sentence plea agreements meant an offender would serve out the terms of their plea, with no chance to change it. But after 2014 legislation and a 2016 Indiana Court of Appeals decision, the Indiana Supreme Court must now decide whether such agreements may be modified.
Fixed plea modifications at heart of legislation, Supreme Court case
When a court accepts a fixed-sentence plea agreement, prosecutors and defenders alike say the long-standing practice has been for courts to uphold the exact terms of that sentence, absent an agreement between the parties. A recent Indiana Court of Appeals ruling, however, has seemingly put an end to that practice, leading to both a legislative and judicial review of the sentencing issue.
Defense seeks 4-year sentence for ex-Lake County sheriff
A defense attorney for the former sheriff of Indiana’s second most-populous county says federal prosecutors are seeking an “outrageous” prison sentence for his conviction on bribery and wire fraud charges.
Divided COA again allows sentence modification in fixed-sentence agreement
A divided panel of the Indiana Court of Appeals has ordered a trial court to reconsider a sentence modification for an offender who agreed to a fixed-sentence plea agreement, a ruling that goes against proposed legislation currently pending before an Indiana Senate committee. However, in his first writing as an appellate senior judge, former Indiana Supreme Court Justice Robert Rucker dissented from the majority ruling.
COA reduces contempt sentence from 910 days to 6 months
The Marion Superior Court must reduce a man’s sentence for criminal contempt of court to six months in order to comply with his Sixth Amendment rights and U.S. Supreme Court precedent, the Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled.
Judge gives Fogle another avenue to challenge sentence
A federal judge is giving former Subway spokesman Jared Fogle another chance to seek relief from his 15-year prison sentence after striking down the most recent of his objections to his sentence on Wednesday.
ACLU poll finds wide support for prosecutorial reform
Likely voters overwhelmingly support prosecutors who will work to end mass incarceration, alternatives to prison and reducing racial bias, according to polling results released Tuesday.
Divided Supreme Court throws out juvenile’s LWOP sentence
In a 3-2 decision Tuesday, the Indiana Supreme Court reduced a life without parole sentence for an offender convicted of murder at 17, finding LWOP sentences should be reserved for the most “heinous” juvenile offenders. The dissenting justices, however, found the nature of the crime in question warranted a life sentence.
Ex-ISU student gets 5 years in locker room voyeurism case
A former Indiana State University student who pleaded guilty to secretly filming female student-athletes in a campus locker room and sharing those videos online has been sentenced to five years in jail.
Free speech, fair trials collide at ex-Lake County sheriff’s sentencing
With Lake County seemingly awash in political corruption, a local newspaper is trying to uproot the culture of kickbacks and payouts by putting the spotlight on those who speak in favor of the latest elected official to be convicted. The Lake County Bar Association formally opposes the action.
Justices to review who can waive rights of mentally ill
The Indiana Supreme Court will decide whether trial courts have authority to waive respondents’ rights to be present at their mental health commitment hearings after granting transfer to a case in which a man was not present for his commitment hearing.
Indiana woman gets 40 years in malnourished baby’s death
A western Indiana woman has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for the neglect death of her malnourished 8-month-old daughter, who weighed just 11 pounds when she died.
Former town marshal gets 50 years in wife’s murder
A central Indiana judge has given a 50-year prison sentence to a former deputy town marshal in the death of his wife who was shot with his police weapon.
American who joined, escaped Islamic State gets 20 years
The only American citizen to be convicted in a U.S. jury trial of successfully joining the Islamic State overseas has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.