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.
Fort Wayne
Articles
Wrongful death suit against Fort Wayne police proceeds
The estate of a man who died from a cocaine overdose while chained to a desk in police custody may proceed with a wrongful death suit against the city of Fort Wayne, a federal court ruled.
Indiana diocese releases names of 18 accused ex-clergy
The Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend has released the names of 17 former priests and one former deacon who have been credibly accused of sexual abusing minors.
Justices: Evansville, Fort Wayne partly liable for police sex assaults
The Indiana Supreme Court affirmed two cities were entitled to summary judgment on the common-carrier theory, but not on the issue of liability under respondeat superior’s scope-of-employment rule in a consolidated civil lawsuit involving two women who were sexually assaulted by on-duty police in Evansville and Fort Wayne.
Suspect in fatal road rage beating formally charged
A man suspected of beating a 60-year-old man who subsequently died of a heart attack during an apparent road rage attack in Fort Wayne has been formally charged with involuntary manslaughter.
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.
Allen County JNC names three finalists to succeed Surbeck
Two magistrate judges and a practicing attorney have been named as finalists to fill an upcoming vacancy in the Allen Superior Court Criminal Division. It’s one of two pending vacancies on the state court bench in Fort Wayne.
Fort Wayne settles suit challenging amplified-noise statute
Indiana’s second-largest city has settled a federal lawsuit that challenged a portion of its ordinance regulating amplified noises. Court documents filed Tuesday show the city of Fort Wayne has agreed to an injunction permanently barring it from enforcing a provision that “prohibits amplified sound, including speech, that can be heard more than 50 feet from the source.”
Allen Judge Levine joins Surbeck in retiring; 7 to be interviewed
With more than 100 years of combined legal experience, Allen Superior judges John Surbeck Jr. and Stanley A. Levine will retire December 31, having devoted half of their careers to the bench in Fort Wayne. Seven candidates will be interviewed for Surbeck’s vacancy, which was announced in June, and applications to succeed Levine, who announced his retirement Monday, will be accepted later.
Man charged with manslaughter in Indiana road rage beating
A 27-year-old man has been charged with involuntary manslaughter after a 60-year-old man died of cardiac arrest after being beaten in an apparent road rage attack in Fort Wayne.
February trial set for Indiana man charged in 1988 slaying
A judge has set a Feb. 11 trial date for an Indiana man charged in the 1988 abduction, rape and killing of an 8-year-old girl. John D. Miller, of Grabill, is charged with murder and child molestation in the killing of April Tinsley.
Indiana man arraigned in 1988 killing of 8-year-old girl
An Indiana man charged in the 1988 rape and murder of an 8-year-old girl has been arraigned in her slaying. An Allen County judge entered a not guilty plea for 59-year-old John D. Miller Thursday morning and assigned him a public defender.
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.
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.
Applications open for Allen County judicial vacancy
An Allen County superior court judge will retire at the end of this year, prompting the Allen Superior Court Judicial Nominating Commission to begin the process of selecting his replacement. The vacancy will occur in December when Judge John F. Surbeck, Jr. retires from his position in the Allen Superior Court Criminal Division.
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.
Planned Parenthood closes Fort Wayne center, citing harassment
Planned Parenthood has closed its health center in Indiana’s second-largest city, blaming intimidation and harassment by supporters of a local anti-abortion group. Planned Parenthood said it closed its Fort Wayne health center Monday following growing harassment and intimidation of the center’s staff that it blamed on supporters of Allen County Right to Life.
Fort Wayne woman takes plea deal in threat against judge
A Fort Wayne woman accused of threatening to kill a judge has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in a deal with prosecutors. Ida Mae Wilson appeared in a Delaware County court on Monday and apologized for saying she would shoot Judge Thomas Cannon Jr. in a phone call to her son, who was in jail.
Fort Wayne crash that killed 73-year-old leads to probation
An 18-year-old Fort Wayne man has been sentenced to five years of probation after pleading guilty in a crash that killed a 73-year-old man. Liam B. Burke was given his punishment Friday after earlier entering the plea to felony reckless homicide and criminal recklessness and misdemeanor criminal recklessness.
Fort Wayne officers’ excessive force countersuit bid rejected
A federal magistrate judge has rejected a bid by four Fort Wayne police officers to countersue a woman who accuses them of racial profiling and excessive force.