Split Supreme Court reinstates convictions based on invited error
Finding no fundamental error, a split Indiana Supreme Court has reinstated a man’s multiple convictions that resulted in a nearly 50-year sentence.
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Lafayette woman gets 55 years in 3-year-old’s beating death
A northwestern Indiana woman convicted of murder in the beating death of her 3-year-old son was sentenced Tuesday to 55 years in prison.
Judge’s comment doesn’t require reversal of 15-year sentencing enhancement, COA rules
Despite a judge’s comment that a defendant “dodged a bullet” in avoiding a murder conviction, the St. Joseph County man cannot avoid a 15-year sentencing enhancement on his conviction of reckless homicide with the use of a firearm, the Court of Appeals of Indiana has concluded.
U.S. Supreme Court rules for inmates seeking reduced prison terms
The U.S. Supreme Court made it easier Monday for certain prison inmates to seek shorter sentences under a bipartisan 2018 federal law aimed at reducing racial disparities in prison terms for cocaine crimes.
Whiting man gets 180 years for killing woman, 2 teens in ’98
A judge sentenced a Lake County man Friday to 180 years in prison for killing a woman and two teenage boys found bludgeoned to death in 1998 in a house in northwest Indiana.
Indy man who threw Molotov cocktails at Oregon police sentenced
A federal judge has sentenced a 25-year-old Indiana man who threw Molotov cocktails at police in Portland, Oregon, during mass protests against police brutality to 10 years in prison.
U.S. Supreme Court limits reach of federal gun crime law
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday limited the reach of a federal statute that requires stiff penalties for crimes involving a gun.
Story of Indy man’s struggles told at sentencing
By the time Tyrone Anthony Lewis Ross stood on the street corner in downtown Indianapolis at 11:15 p.m. on May 30, 2020, he had survived an abusive childhood, had long struggled with mental health issues and was well-known to local law enforcement.
In Jan. 6 cases, 1 judge stands out as the toughest punisher
As the number of people sentenced for crimes in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection nears 200, an Associated Press analysis of sentencing data shows that some judges are divided over how to punish the rioters, particularly for the low-level misdemeanors arising from the attack.
Enhanced consecutive sentences upheld in fentanyl overdose case
A man who sold fentanyl-laced heroin to his friend that resulted in the buyer overdosing will keep his enhanced consecutive sentences, the Court of Appeals of Indiana has concluded.
Ohio trucker gets 45 years for I-70 crash that killed 4 siblings
A truck driver whose semitrailer crashed into a car in an eastern Indiana road construction zone, killing four siblings, has been sentenced to 45 years in prison.
Gary woman gets 11 years for role in killings of 2 teens
A Gary woman has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for providing two teenagers with guns and later hiding a gun her boyfriend used to kill them in 2020.
In historic shift, far fewer teens face adult US courts
Data reported to the FBI each year by thousands of police departments across the country shows the percentage of youths taken into custody who were referred to adult courts has dropped from 8% in 2010 to 2% in 2019. Instead, more teenagers are being sent to juvenile courts or community programs that steer them to counseling, peer mediation and other services aimed at keeping them out of trouble.
COA: Parole not part of sentence modification statute, trial court lacked authority to modify to probation
An Indiana man’s request to modify his sentence to probation instead of parole has been denied by the Court of Appeals of Indiana, as it concluded the trial court didn’t have authority to make the change.
Jonesboro woman gets 48 years in death of man found in woods
A woman convicted for her role in the 2018 slaying of a man found beaten to death with a pipe in wooded area of northern Indiana has been sentenced to 48 years in prison.
Marion County deputy sentenced to federal prison for beating inmate
A Marion County Sheriff’s Office detention deputy has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for assaulting an inmate.
Indiana Supreme Court grants transfer to wage dispute case, 2 other cases
A dispute between a dentist and her former employer, which split the Court of Appeals over the award of damages, is now headed for the Indiana Supreme Court.
Columbus man gets 67 years for brutal killing of great aunt
A south-central Indiana man has been sentenced to 67 years in prison for the brutal 2020 slaying of his great aunt, who authorities said had bailed him out of jail a day before her death.
Evansville man sentenced to 6 ½ years for ‘ghost gun’ possession, drug charges
An Evansville man will spend 6½ years in federal prison on multiple charges, including possession of a new type of weapon that’s raising hairs on law enforcement’s neck: 3D printed “ghost guns.”
Indiana man gets 50 years in wife’s 2020 killing, beheading
A west central Indiana man was sentenced to 50 years in prison after pleading guilty to killing his wife, whose severed head was found buried in the basement of the couple’s home.