Justices debate Indian control of land in Oklahoma
The U.S. Supreme Court is debating whether an Indian tribe retains control over a vast swath of eastern Oklahoma in a case involving a Native American who was sentenced to death for murder.
Murder
Articles
Indiana family seeks resolution in 30-year-old homicide
The father of a teenage girl who was fatally shot in a 1988 double-homicide in Brazil, Indiana, said he decided to give his first interviews about the killing in the hopes the three-decade-old case will finally be solved.
Teen charged as adult in killing gets 48-year sentence
An Indianapolis teenager charged as an adult in the fatal shooting of a man stemming from a botched robbery of marijuana has been sentenced to 48 years in prison.
Justices to hear appeal in northern Indiana triple-murder
Indiana’s high court is taking up the appeal of a man sentenced to life in prison without parole for the stabbing deaths of three people in northwestern Indiana.
Man competent for trial in ex-girlfriend’s gruesome killing
A Jeffersonville man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend and eating parts of her body has been found competent to stand trial.
Second man faces charge in off-duty officer’s 1980 death
Another man is facing a murder charge in the 1980 shooting death of an off-duty northwestern Indiana police officer. A 68-year-old man released this summer from an Illinois prison sentence has been charged in the slaying of Hammond officer Lawrence Pucalik.
Authorities: Montgomery Co. woman waited weekend before reporting slaying
Authorities say a 55-year-old rural Indiana woman killed her 62-year-old husband at their home and waited the weekend before calling 911 to report his death. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said Sheila Ridenour was arrested Monday on initial charges of murder and failure to report a dead body after she told 911 dispatchers she fatally shot Billy Ridenour on Friday.
Hobart man charged with murder in death of father, 80
A northwestern Indiana man is accused of killing his 80-year-old father, who was found mortally wounded in his bathtub.
Man sentenced to 82 years for Evansville strip club shooting
A man convicted in a fatal shooting outside an Evansville strip club has been sentenced to 82 years in prison. A Vanderburgh County judge ordered the sentence Friday for 35-year-old Clarence Miller, who was convicted last month on murder and other charges for the April 2017 shooting.
Divided justices deny child murderer death penalty relief
The Indiana Supreme Court has upheld the denial of post-conviction relief for a convicted child murderer and arsonist sentenced to death, finding that while the man’s counsel did make mistakes, those mistakes did not rise to the Strickland level of deficient performance. However, Chief Justice Loretta Rush dissented and would have allowed the case to proceed to a new penalty phase.
Albion man charged with murder, molesting in death of toddler
A northeastern Indiana man has been charged with murder and child molesting in the battering death of a 2½-year-old girl he was babysitting.
Man convicted at 15 in stepdad’s killing to leave prison
A judge in Warsaw, Indiana, is allowing a man who was 15 when he was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the fatal shooting of his stepfather to enter home detention earlier than expected.
Valpo attorney suspended for failing to refund unperformed work
A Valparaiso attorney who neglected a client’s appeal and failed to refund a fee paid for his unperformed service has been suspended from the practice of law in Indiana for 90 days and cannot be reinstated until he pays full restitution.
Two killers keep life sentences despite ‘horrific’ upbringings
Two men convicted for the 2000 murder of a 73-year-old man have once again lost their appeal to reverse their life sentences after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals found the sentences were reasonable, despite the men’s unfortunate upbringings.
Fort Wayne man accused in attack on mother now facing murder charge
A Fort Wayne Indiana man who police say told an officer he was possessed by demons and Adolf Hitler when he allegedly attacked his mother is facing a murder charge. Court records show the charge was added Tuesday against 34-year-old Jason Steiss, who last week was jailed on charges including aggravated battery.
Man, 23, to face charges in 2011 slaying of Goshen professor
A northern Indiana prosecutor says she will file murder and attempted murder charges against a 23-year-old man for a 2011 home invasion that left a Goshen College biology professor dead and his wife badly injured. Elkhart County Prosecutor Vicki Becker announced she will file the charges against Winston Earl Corbett, who was 16 at the time of the attack on 58-year-old James Miller and his wife, Linda.
COA upholds mixed sentences for murder, attempted murder convictions
A Lake County man sentenced to an aggregate 225 years lost his pro se appeal after the Indiana Court of Appeals determined his sentence, which included a mix of terms running consecutively and concurrently, did not violate state statute,
High court won’t hear Evansville suit alleging coerced confessions
A lawsuit involving three teenagers who accuse Evansville police of violating their constitutional rights is headed to trial after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case. The high court refused Monday to review a January ruling by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which found enough evidence to warrant a civil trial in the suit filed on behalf of William, Deadra and Andrea Hurt and their mother.
Murder charges refiled against Indiana woman in 2012 death
Charges have been refiled against a northwestern Indiana woman accused of arranging the 2012 shooting death of a business associate. Porter County Prosecutor Brian Gensel said charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder were refiled against Sheaurice Major as a result of new evidence after similar charges against Major were dismissed in 2017.
Woman who said boyfriend killed self now charged with murder
A Merrillville woman who told police she “watched the love of her life commit suicide” now faces a murder charge alleging that she killed her boyfriend and staged his death as a suicide.