Marion County jury to hear capital case in Fort Wayne
Jurors from Marion County will hear the case of a Fort Wayne man facing death penalty charges stemming from the deaths of four people.
Death Penalty
Articles
Death penalty defense in officer’s killing seeks brain consultant
An Indianapolis man facing the death penalty for allegedly killing a Southport police officer is requesting public funds to hire a brain injury consultant in an apparent move to raise questions about whether he acted “knowingly or intentionally.”
Death penalty dropped for man’s third triple-murder trial
A northern Indiana man who’s facing his third trial in a triple-murder case won’t face the death penalty if he’s convicted again in the killings. Wayne Kubsch is expected to stand trial again next year for the 1998 Mishawaka slaying of his wife, her ex-husband and their son.
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.
Nevada death-row inmate: ‘Just get it done’
A Nevada death-row inmate whose execution has been postponed twice said a legal fight over his fate is taking a tortuous toll on him and his family and he just wants his sentence carried out.
Indiana joins Nevada fight against drugmaker delay of execution
Fifteen states including Indiana are siding with Nevada as it fights drug companies battling the use of their products in an inmate’s execution. Republican attorneys general from the 15 states filed documents Monday with the Nevada Supreme Court arguing drug company Alvogen’s claims are a part of a “guerrilla war against the death penalty.”
Trial in Boone deputy’s shooting death delayed until 2020
The possible death penalty trial for the man charged with fatally shooting a Boone County sheriff's deputy is being delayed for more than two years.
Mom of Fort Wayne girl killed in ’88 hopes defendant gets death
The mother of an 8-year-old Fort Wayne girl who was raped and killed in 1988 wants prosecutors to seek the death penalty against the man accused of the crimes. Prosecutors on Tuesday declined to discuss whether they’ll seek the death penalty for 59-year-old John Miller in the killing of April Tinsley. But the girl’s mother, Janet Tinsley, told the Journal Gazette that she wants to be present if Miller is put to death.
Supreme Court enjoys relatively high public confidence
The next Supreme Court justice will join the bench at a time when the public has more confidence in the high court than in Congress or the presidency. A Gallup survey in June found 37 percent of Americans have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in the court, while another 42 percent have “some” confidence. Only 18 percent have little or no confidence in the court.
Supreme Court rejects appeal from gay inmate in South Dakota
The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from a gay death row inmate in South Dakota who says jurors were biased against him because of his sexual orientation. Charles Rhines tried to persuade the court to take an interest in his case after the justices last year ruled that evidence of racial bias in the jury room allows a judge to consider setting aside a verdict.
Man charged with shooting Boone deputy seeks change of venue
A man charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a Boone County sheriff’s deputy wants his trial moved. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Anthony Baumgardt, who is charged in the fatal shooting of deputy Jacob Pickett.
Gary man facing death in slayings of wife, 2 kids loses PCR bid
A Gary man sentenced to death for killing his wife and two teenage stepchildren has lost his latest attempt to overturn his conviction – a post-conviction relief petition. Lake Superior Judge Samuel Cappas and Magistrate Judge Natalie Bokota determined in a ruling issued Friday that Kevin Isom of Gary failed to establish he had ineffective counsel at his murder trial or during the appeals process.
Private attorneys in death penalty cases create dilemmas for judges, public defenders
Capital cases are entering what one judge calls uncharted territory, faced with determining whether an accused killer is entitled to court-appointed counsel of his choice or must be represented by a lawyer certified to defend death penalty cases.
State secret: DOC presses lethal injection confidentiality
A law slipped into the 2017 budget bill during the General Assembly’s final hours declared that information about drugs that the state would use to execute someone was confidential. The last-minute law was written into the bill even though a judge had ruled months earlier that the very same information was a matter of public record and had ordered the Department of Correction to provide it.
Gary man receives life term in 7 women’s deaths
A former Marine who admitted to killing seven women in a plea deal with Indiana prosecutors has been sentenced to seven life sentences.
Supreme Court rules for inmate whose lawyer conceded guilt
The Supreme Court ruled Monday that a lawyer for a criminal defendant cannot override his client’s wish to maintain his innocence at trial, even if the lawyer’s aim is to avoid a death sentence.
Supreme Court to hear appeal of Missouri death row inmate
The Supreme Court of the United States agreed Monday to review the case of a Missouri death row inmate who says his rare medical condition could cause him to choke on his own blood during an execution.
Man charged with shooting deputy hears death penalty charge
A man charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a Boone County sheriff’s deputy heard a death penalty charge read to him Friday. Anthony Baumgardt of Lebanon is accused in the March 2 fatal shooting of Jacob Pickett.
Indiana prosecutor seeking death penalty in deputy’s slaying
A prosecutor says he will seek the death penalty against the man charged with fatally shooting a central Indiana sheriff’s deputy during a foot chase last month.
Alleged DOJ misconduct spreads to Indiana death penalty case
Accusations of sexual harassment and prosecutorial misconduct at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Capital Case Section have ensnared a death penalty case in the Southern District of Indiana against a federal inmate charged with killing his cellmate.