Lake County murder conviction affirmed
A Lake Superior trial court did not abuse its discretion in refusing to give an accused murderer’s proposed jury instruction regarding the presumption of innocence, the Indiana Court of Appeals held.
Murder
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Judge allows Corcoran to appeal denial of habeas corpus
Joseph Corcoran, who has been sentenced to death for killing four men in 1997, will be allowed to appeal the denial of his petition for habeas corpus to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Defendant in neighborhood explosion now faces conspiracy to commit murder charge
Mark Leonard, one of three arrested and charged for an explosion in an Indianapolis neighborhood that killed two people, has been charged with Class A felony conspiracy to commit murder. The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office alleges he attempted to arrange a murder-for-hire plan while in jail on charges stemming from the explosion.
Defendant received ineffective trial counsel assistance in murder case
The Indiana Court of Appeals reversed the denial of a Delaware County man’s post-conviction relief petition finding his trial attorney was ineffective in not ensuring the jury was properly instructed on the elements of murder, voluntary manslaughter and the state’s burden of proof regarding sudden heat.
Prosecutor requesting life without parole for 3 defendants in Indianapolis explosion
Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry has decided to request life sentences without parole, instead of the death penalty, for the three defendants charged in the Richmond Hill subdivision explosion.
COA affirms murder conviction and sentence over self-defense claim
An Indianapolis man who was convicted and sentenced to 85 years in prison for killing a man who threatened his life and the lives of people inside his home lost his appeal Friday.
Judges affirm 53-year sentence for bank shooting
The man who shot a pregnant teller in Indianapolis, leading to the death of her twins, had his sentence on remand upheld by the Indiana Court of Appeals.
State may drop Bei Bei Shuai murder charge after adverse ruling
A judge’s ruling last week barring a medical examiner’s testimony that rat poison ingested by Bei Bei Shuai caused the death of her newborn daughter should cause the state to consider dropping all charges, Shuai’s defense attorney said.
3 charged in Indianapolis home explosion
Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry announced Friday that three people have been arrested in connection with a home explosion in an Indianapolis suburb that killed two people last month and damaged dozens of homes.
State could refile charges against Bunch
Although arson and murder charges were dismissed against Kristine Bunch Tuesday in Decatur County, prosecutors may decide to refile charges after further investigation.
State drops charges against mom whose murder, arson convictions were overturned
The state has dropped charges against Kristine Bunch, the Decatur County woman who claimed she was wrongfully convicted of killing her son in a fire in 1995. Bunch was convicted in 1996 of murder and arson, but the Court of Appeals ordered a new trial this year.
Judges reverse teen’s conspiracy to commit murder conviction
The Indiana Court of Appeals has reversed Paul Henry Gingerich’s conviction of Class A felony conspiracy to commit murder, finding the Kosciusko juvenile court abused its discretion in denying the then-12-year-old’s request for a continuance of a waiver hearing.
Federal court stays Roy Lee Ward’s execution
A federal appeals court judge Tuesday granted a stay of execution for an Indiana man convicted of the torturous rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl.
Court affirms man’s conviction of murder, feticide enhancement
The Indiana Court of Appeals rejected a defendant’s claim that the state should have to prove that he knew his estranged wife was pregnant when he killed her in order to seek a sentence enhancement under the Indiana feticide enhancement statute.
Feds charge 8 more NW Indiana gang members
Federal prosecutors on Friday charged eight alleged Imperial Gangsters street gang members in a 41-count indictment that expands on previous homicide and drug trafficking charges.
Court affirms man’s sentence for murdering wife
A Lawrence County man was unable to convince the Indiana Court of Appeals that his 65-year sentence for the murder of his wife in 2009 should be reduced to the advisory sentence of 55 years.
Judges focus on juvenile due process in Gingerich murder conspiracy appeal
Court of Appeals judges on Tuesday focused their questions on whether a 12-year-old waived to adult court in a 2010 murder had due process when his attorneys had just five days to prepare for a waiver hearing in juvenile court in Kosciusko County.
Location announced for state trooper’s third murder trial
The third murder trial of former Indiana State Trooper David Camm will be held in Boone County.
Gingerich trial stirs juvenile advocates
Sentenced at 12 for conspiracy to commit murder, Paul Henry Gingerich’s appeal claims due process violations.
Prosecutor error insufficient to reverse murder conviction
A prosecutor improperly presented facts that were not in evidence and inflamed the passions and prejudices of jurors in a murder trial, but his improper conduct didn’t rise to the level of reversible error, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Friday.