Judge may sequester house blast jury during deliberations
The judge who'll preside over one defendant's murder trial in a deadly Indianapolis house explosion says he may sequester jurors during deliberations.
Murder
Articles
Wiretap evidence properly admitted at murder trial
The Indiana Court of Appeals upheld a man’s conviction of murdering his stepfather, finding that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting wiretap evidence in which the defendant told a friend he was involved in the killing.
Brothers’ murder convictions upheld by COA
Two brothers convicted in the murder of a man with whom they previously had an altercation are not entitled to a new trial based on one juror’s concerns for her safety after recognizing someone sitting in the gallery, the Indiana Court of Appeals held Wednesday.
Long odds for insanity defense in theater shooting trial
The parents of Colorado theater shooter James Holmes joined the parents of his victims in line on a gray and drizzly Monday morning before entering the courthouse where lawyers prepared to declare why he should be executed or spend the rest of his life in a mental hospital.
Boston Marathon bomber’s lawyer urges jury to spare his life
A lawyer for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev urged a jury Monday to spare the young man's life, portraying him as "a good kid" who was led astray by his belligerent older brother.
Justices affirm LWOP sentence, admission of suicide note
A southern Indiana man challenging his robbery and murder convictions and sentence to spend the rest of his life in prison lost his appeal before the Indiana Supreme Court Thursday. The justices rejected the man’s claim that his sentence should be reduced to a term of years.
Death penalty sought in suspected serial killings
Prosecutors in Crown Point are seeking the death penalty against a Gary man charged in the slayings of two women and suspected in the deaths of five others.
Court must consider man’s self-defense claim at new bail hearing
A defendant accused of murder must be allowed to present evidence and witnesses at a bail hearing in an endeavor to rebut the state’s burden that the defendant likely committed murder, the Indiana Court of Appeals held Thursday. Since that did not happen in James Satterfield’s case, the judges remanded the matter for further proceedings.
Man gets life sentence for Waynesville quadruple murder
A southern Indiana man found guilty in the deaths of a couple and two of their friends has been sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole.
Indiana man convicted in 2 killings to get life in prison
A northern Indiana man is set to spend the rest of his life in prison without parole for the killings of his brother and sister-in-law.
SCOTUS says lawyer’s brief absence doesn’t merit retrial
The Supreme Court of the United States says a Michigan man convicted of murder and armed robbery does not deserve a new trial even though his lawyer was absent for 10 minutes during the original trial.
Indiana high court won’t review conviction in parent deaths
The state Supreme Court won't consider an eastern Indiana man's appeal of his double-murder conviction in his parents' killings.
‘Elkhart Four’ convictions put new spotlight on felony murder statute
Three teens convicted of felony murder have asked the Indiana Supreme Court to overturn their convictions because they did not directly kill the victim.
Indianapolis man gets 37 years in Henry County killing
A 35-year-old Indianapolis man has been sentenced to 37 years in prison for using a shotgun to kill another Indianapolis man in Henry County.
No new trial for Indiana woman convicted in deadly crash
An Indianapolis woman convicted of killing six children and a man in a wrong-way, head-on collision along a state highway will not get a new trial, a judge has ruled.
Judge: No 2nd lawyer for defendant in Hartford City killings
A Blackford County judge has denied a request for a second court-appointed lawyer from an eastern Indiana man accused of killing a father and daughter.
Elkhart teens try to convince justices to revisit felony murder statute
An Indiana statute and a 16-year-old Indiana Supreme Court decision interpreting that statute are under review as three teenagers serving 45-year sentences asked the justices to overturn their convictions for felony murder.
Lawyers arguing mental illness in murder conviction appeal
The Indiana Supreme Court is set to hear an appeal of the conviction of a schizophrenic man serving a life sentence in the death of his mother.
Justices affirm death penalty for man who killed 2 children
A Vanderburgh County man convicted of the murders of his girlfriend’s eight- and five-year-old children after setting fire to hishome in 2010 will remain on death row. The Indiana Supreme Court declined to reverse his convictions or revise his sentence.
7th Circuit grants habeas relief for man on death row
An Evansville man sentenced to death for the 2001 murders of his wife and two daughters is not entitled to habeas relief on his claim of intellectual disability, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday. But his petition should be granted because the state courts unreasonably applied federal due process standards in adjudicating his competency to stand trial.