Andrew Frye

Andrew Frye

11-Year-Old Boy Charged With Murder In Brother's Killing

6-Year-Old Boy Shot In Head

July 1, 2011

MARTINSVILLE, Ind. (WRTV-6) -- An 11-year-old boy is being charged with murder in the shooting death of his 6-year-old brother.

Andrew Frye was shot in the head with a .22-caliber gun at his home south of Martinsville on Thursday afternoon, the Morgan County Sheriff's Department said.

The 11-year-old was the only other person at home, just east of State Road 37, at the time of the shooting, and he called 911 afterward, police said.

Morgan County Prosecutor Steve Sonnega announced Friday that the 11-year-old would be charged as a juvenile with murder and criminal recklessness.

According to Indiana law, juvenile murder charges are immediately upgraded to adult charges, but only if the person is 16 years old or older.

Authorities released the 11-year-old's name Friday, but 6News' policy is to not release the name of a juvenile unless he or she has been charged as an adult.

Sonnega declined to release many details of the shooting, citing strict privacy rules in juvenile court.

"There are a lot of unanswered questions," he said. "The detectives worked all last night... and they will continue to work all weekend."

Neighbors of the young boys were shocked by the violence.

"It is very sad, very sad," said neighbor Louise Taylor.

"He (Andrew Frye) was a good kid," said neighbor Jessica Purgason. "He was quiet. He just wanted to play. That's all he was about."

Police originally thought that the boy's shooting was an accident.

Also:

MARTINSVILLE, Ind. (WISH) - The 11-year-old stepbrother of the 6-year-old fatally shot Thursday in Morgan County is being charged with murder, officials said Friday.  The 11-year-old is being held at the Johnson County Detention Center. A hearing has been set for July 6.

The two boys were home alone when the shooting happened southwest of Martinsville, near Liberty Church Road and Ind. 37, police said Thursday. The younger brother was flown to Riley Hospital in Indianapolis, where he later died.

UPDATE:

July 28, 2011

INDIANAPOLIS -- The case of an 11-year-old Martinsville boy accused of fatally shooting his 6-year-old brother is raising questions about when sibling rivalry becomes something more serious.

The 11-year-old was charged last week as a juvenile with murder and reckless homicide in the death of Andrew Frye, who was shot in the head with a .22-caliber rifle at the family's home south of Martinsville on June 30.

The boys’ mother, Amanda Vandagrifft, 28, was charged Wednesday with neglect of a dependent resulting in death, a Class A felony, and three counts of neglect of a dependent, a Class D felony.

Vandagrifft's boyfriend, Matthew Boulden, was charged with three counts of neglect of a dependent, Class D felonies.

According to a probable cause affidavit, authorities believe Vandagrifft and Boulden should have known better than to leave the 11-year-old boy home alone with other children because he had acted violently in the past toward his siblings.

Court documents indicate that on the day of the shooting, the 11-year-old had asked his brother to clean his room. When the 6-year-old said he wouldn't clean his room, his brother told police that he went to get a rifle with the intention of scaring the boy.

Investigators said the boy had used knives and a gun in the past to scare his brother and sister into doing their chores.

The girl told police she once stepped between her brothers, telling the 11-year-old if he was going to kill the 6-year-old, he was going to have to kill her first.

Sharon Pierce with Prevent Child Abuse Indiana said most cases of fighting between siblings are not so severe.

"We all hear stories of what our big brothers or big sisters did to us when we were young, but usually, it's a very limited amount of harm that's done," she said.

But if the 11-year-old did have such serious issues in the past, child safety experts said the adults should have taken steps to make sure he did not have access to knives and guns.

The gun used in the shooting death of Andrew Frye was wedged between a desk and a wall in Vandagrifft’s bedroom, according to court records.

"I think always, as parents, we have to be so attentive to the safety and the reality of leaving our children alone and what is accessible in our home," Pierce said.

Pierce encouraged parents to talk to their children about violence and the relationships between siblings and to not ignore warning signs of a more serious problem.

Those who suspect a child is being abused or neglected are asked to call Indiana's Child Abuse Hotline at 800-800-5556. It's available 24 hours a day and reports can be made anonymously.

Authorities have released the 11-year-old's name, but 6News' policy is to not release the name of a juvenile unless he or she has been charged as an adult.

Michele Daughtery

Michele Daughtery

Noblesville Man Charged In Wife's, Cat's Death

Officers Find Lonnie Daughtery's Wife, Cat Dead In Ky. Hotel Room

June 26, 2011

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (WRTV-6) -- An Noblesville man was charged with murder and animal cruelty after his wife and cat were found dead in a Kentucky hotel room, police said.

Kentucky police said Lonnie Daughtery, 37, of Noblesville, Ind., was arrested at around 2 p.m. on Saturday at the Holiday Inn Express in Elizabethtown, Ky., which is about an hour southwest of Louisville.

Officers said they found the body of Michele Daughtery, 45, and a dead cat when the entered the hotel room.

Police said Lonnie Daughtery told them he was helping his wife commit suicide.

Elizabethtown Police Sgt. Tim Cleary said Lonnie Daughtery didn’t say why his wife wanted to commit suicide, but added he strangled her to aid in the attempt.

Police said Lonnie Daughtery was taken to Hardin Memorial Hospital with “superficial injuries.”

UPDATE:

A Noblesville man is in jail accused of murdering his wife while the couple was in Kentucky.

Detectives charged Lonnie Daughtery with murder and cruelty to animals. Police said they found 47-year-old Michele Daughtery's body Saturday inside a room at the Holiday Inn Express in Elizabethtown, KY. Lonnie Daughtery was taken to a hospital with minor injuries. Detectives claim that is when Lonnie Daughtery told them he strangled his wife, helping her commit suicide. Detectives accuse him of killing their cat, which was also in the hotel room.

"I know Lonnie well enough to know he would do anything that Michele would've asked him," Dorothy Castle said. Dorothy Castle lives near the Daughtery's Noblesville home. Castle said she met the couple four years ago when they moved into the Lions Creek, a Morse Lake community.

Castle described the couple as the nicest people, impossible not to like. She said the couple lost their apartment around the time they found out Michele had cancer. She said the Daughtery's wanted to travel before Michele became too ill.

"I understood I guess that he did what he thought he had to do, but I was really upset because I just….I don't know how to explain to people the way this man loved this woman. He did it out of love. There was no in any way shape or form this man had any malicious {intent}. He loved her with everything he had and he gave up his life for her," Castle said.

Castle said she spoke to the couple on Friday. "Something must have happened to make this decision. I always knew she would make some decision, but i never thought it would happen like that," she said.

Lonnie Daughtery is at the Hardin County Detention Center in Kentucky where he faces a murder charge and cruelty to animals, 1st degree.

Roy L. Orman

Man, woman face murder charges as bodies are identified

Police: Gunshot wounds likely the cause of deaths

June 24, 2011

SALEM — The two bodies found on a property near Salem have been preliminarily identified, Indiana State Police said Friday.

Also Friday, Timothy R. Orman, 25, and Tammy M. Spengler, 23, who reside at different addresses in Palmyra, were charged with two counts of murder, two counts of aiding, inducing or causing murder and class A misdemeanor invasion of privacy for violating a protective order.

Although positive identifications have not been made due to the condition of the bodies, the victims have been tentatively identified as Orman’s father and uncle — Timothy M. Orman, 54, of 7600 Rosebud Road, and Roy L. Orman, 48, of 7598 Rosebud Road, an ISP press release says.

ISP also said Friday that the preliminary cause of death is gunshot wounds to both victims, although additional tests must be run to confirm the official cause. At least one neighbor reported hearing gunshots Sunday night.

The bodies were found in an outbuilding at 7600 Rosebud Road after the Washington County Sheriff’s Department received a phone call shortly after 11 p.m. Wednesday reporting the location of two deceased people. The state police have not identified who placed the phone call.

Spengler was arrested for murder after the bodies were located. Orman was arrested earlier in the day Wednesday for criminal trespass after a vehicle became stuck on a property in the 6400 block of Phillip Schmidt Road in Floyds Knobs.

At about 11:30 a.m., two men called the Floyd County Sheriff’s Department reporting a suspicious man on their property. Orman told the men his vehicle got stuck. He was covered in mud and not wearing shoes. The witnesses said he was “not making sense.”

An officer arrived and said Orman was not able to stand still as he described how they got stuck in the mud. He said they got lost driving to Greenville and attempted to turn around on the property.

He said he left Spengler, who was driving, near the vehicle when he went to get help. Spengler had left the scene when police arrived. The men who owned the property said they wanted Orman to be arrested for criminal trespass. He was transported to the Floyd County Jail.

The vehicle, a 1978 blue and white flatbed pickup truck registered to Roy Orman, was found in a ditch about 75 to 100 yards from the roadway.

Police impounded the vehicle.


See post for dear brother Timothy M. Orman.

Timothy M. Orman

Salem Murder Victims Tentatively Identified

Man, Woman Arrested On Murder Charges

June 24, 2011

SALEM, IN (WAVE) - The two people suspected of killing two Salem, Indiana men made their initial appearance in a Washington County Circuit courtroom on Friday.

So far, officials have only been able to tentatively identify the victims as Timothy M. Orman, and Roy L. Orman, both of Salem. The Washington County Coroner's Office and the Kentucky Medical Examiner's Office continue to work on making positive identifications.

26-year-old Timothy R. Orman and 24-year-old Tammy M. Spengler are accused of murdering the two men. Timothy M. is Timothy R.'s father and Roy is his uncle.

According to the probable cause affidavit Spengler called 9-1-1 Wednesday to turn herself in. She said the bodies of the two men were in an outbuilding on W. Rosebud Road and had been there for about two weeks.

"I guess after they had had the building open the buzzards started," said neighbor Meredith Baker. "They had gotten the smell...and that was it. I had to get out of here for awhile."

The preliminary cause of death for both victims is gunshot wounds. Additional tests are being done to determine the official cause of death.

"I always thought that Timmy could be dangerous," said Baker. "I though that boy was a problem."

Baker said she remembers hearing a gunshot from their house about two weeks before police discovered their bodies, but it's not unusual to hear gunshots in that neighborhood and Roy hunted.

The time of death for both victims has still not been determined.


See post for dear brother Roy L. Orman.

Jacqueline Baxter

Restraining Order Filed Day Woman Died

June 22, 2011

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Indianapolis Metropolitan Police homicide detectives have identified the woman found dead in her home Tuesday as 54-year-old Jacqueline Baxter.

Officers got the call around 10 a.m. Tuesday and rushed to the 9700 block of East 86th Street where they found Baxter’s body. Officers are calling the incident a death investigation.

However, court documents obtained by 24-Hour News 8 show that Baxter said she was in an abusive relationship with her husband Michael Sparks. A restraining order against Sparks was filed on the same day police found Baxter’s body.

In the court document, Baxter says her husband abused her and said, “If I don't live here, you don't either. To death do us part.” She also said she thought her husband was using drugs.

Police say Sparks is not yet a person of interest in the case and has not been arrested.

Officers are waiting on the results of an autopsy before they know exactly how Baxter died.

Obituary:

Jacqueline passed away in June 2011. Jacqueline was last known to be living in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Visitation: Saturday, July 2, 2011 10:00 am - 12:00 Noon Trinity C.M.E. Church.Service: Saturday, July 2, 2011 12:00 Noon Trinity C.M.E. Church Interment: Floral Park Cemetery.


(We are still watching for any further word on autopsy results, etc, and will post anything when it is publicized.  It has been frustrating not seeing anything yet, but we assume this is to keep details of the case quiet as authorities work on it.)

Dawn Marie Fital

Dawn Marie Fital

Body of Missing Michigan Woman Found in a Suitcase in Indiana

By Marlena Baldacci, CNN
June 17, 2011 6:43 a.m. EDT

(CNN) -- An extradition hearing will be held Friday for the boyfriend of a Michigan woman whose body was pulled from a swamp in Indiana, authorities said.

Divers found the body of Dawn Marie Fital, 45, stuffed in a suitcase Thursday.  Her legs, arms and head were bound with duct tape, said Rob Arnold, a spokesman for the Lake County police.  The 45-year-old had been missing since Monday.

Her boyfriend, Greg Noack, 44, was taken into police custody in Merrillville, Indiana, near where her body was discovered.  Michigan prosecutors have charged the suspect, who is being held in Indiana, with murder.  He will appear for an extradition hearing at the Lake County magistrate court jail Friday morning.

Police believe he killed Fital in Michigan, then drove across state lines, where he dumped her body in Indiana.  There is no word on when Fital's body will be returned to Michigan.  An autopsy has been scheduled for Saturday.

UPDATE:

PITTSFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WJBK) - Dawn Marie Fital, 45, became famous as a pool playing sharpshooter. An autopsy report released this weekend reveals she was suffocated. Police say her boyfriend, Greg Noack, 44, murdered her, stuffed her body in a suitcase, and dumped it in a pond 200 miles away in Indiana. Noack was arraigned on murder charges in Ypsilanti Saturday. He's the one who told police in Merrillville, Indiana that Fital was missing.

Visitation for Dawn Fital will be held Monday from 4-8pm and Tuesday from 2-8pm at the Ochalek-Stark Funeral Home, 218 East Main St., Milan. Funeral services will be held Wednesday at 11am at the same location.

Randall P. Poore

New Castle Man Charged in Dad's Death

June 16, 2011

NEW CASTLE, Ind. (WISH) - A New Castle man has been charged in his father’s death.

New Castle police said Randall P. Poore, 69, was found dead Thursday in his Indiana Avenue residence. His son, Johnny Ray Poore, 41, New Castle, was arrested and charged with murder.

The father was found with a chest wound, but the Henry County coroner has scheduled an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

The son is being held in Henry County Jail awaiting a preliminary hearing, set for Friday.

UPDATE:

A New Castle man told authorities he stabbed his father in the chest with a kitchen knife after an argument prompted by the son leaving behind a wet floor after taking a shower.

Johnny Ray Poore, 41, was formally charged Friday with murder in the Thursday death of his father, 69-year-old Raymond Poore.

The younger Poore was arrested Thursday afternoon after a member of their extended family reported finding the victim deceased in a chair, with a visible chest wound.

According to a probable cause affidavit, the woman said when she entered the Indiana Avenue apartment shared by the father and son, Johnny Poore told her, "I think Dad is dead in the chair."

Johnny Poore told authorities the stabbing took place after his father threatened to call police during the argument over the wet floor. The younger Poore also said he had not taken his medication for mental illnesses in recent days.

At an initial hearing Friday, Poore received an Oct. 11 trial date in Henry Superior Court One. He is being held without bond in the Henry County jail.

Marsha Cocot

Marsha Cocot, pictured in center

Woman Found Dead in Gas-Filled Home

June 14, 2011

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - Emergency workers found a woman dead from a possible homicide after arriving at a South Bend house filled with natural gas.

Police say officers went to the home to check on the well-being of a woman Monday evening after her husband attempted suicide in Elkhart with an overdose of drugs and alcohol.

St. Joseph County Sheriff Mike Grzegorek tells WNDU-TV that investigators are trying to determine how 38-year-old Marsha Cocot died and whether the gas filling the house was meant to cover up a crime.

Utility crews shut off the gas line to the home and some nearby residents were evacuated from their homes for a time until the gas dispersed.

Grzegorek tells WSBT-TV that firefighters wearing respirators found Cocot's body while searching the house.

UPDATE

St. Joseph County Metro Homicide arrested Brian Cocot, 38, on a preliminarily charge of murder in relation to the death of his wife Marsha Cocot, 38.

A Tuesday morning autopsy determined Marsha Cocot died of asphyxiation and blunt force trauma sometime before 5:00 p.m. Monday.

Marsha Cocot was found in the 19700 block of Southland Avenue in St. Joseph County after officials responded to a gas leak inside her home around 5:30 p.m.

It’s believed that Cocot intentionally caused the gas leak to cover-up his wife’s death. Neighbors close to police say Cocot dumped gallons of gasoline throughout the house and ripped open natural gas lines before fleeing the home.

Only hours before Cocot’s wife was found, Elkhart Police responded to a suicide attempt and found Brian Cocot apparently trying to overdose on alcohol and pills.

Paramedics rushed Cocot to Elkhart General Hospital. He is currently being held at the St. Joseph County Jail until the Prosecutor’s Office reviews the case for formal charging.

If there is one thing about Southland Avenue that sticks out, it’s that people mind their own business.

"There were some internal problems going on there, but it's not my business, so I left it at that,” neighbor Kurt Vogler said.

Last year, neighbors say Brian Cocot took a sledgehammer to his interior attic walls in a fit of anger. That damage can still be seen poking out of the home’s roof.

"Brian went out of his way to do things for other people. It's just that you could see the aggressive side with Marsha and his dogs,” neighbor William Pellow said.

The shock of it all came with guilt.

"Instinctively I knew better. Something kept nagging at me, telling me something was wrong and I didn't listen to what I should have listened to,” neighbor Jan Cohen said.

Neighbors say the sound of fighting coming from the home increased with time in the quiet neighborhood.

"We're living across the street and we had no clue. We were completely oblivious as we're working or watching TV or cooking dinner. All throughout, this woman is going through God knows what, with a poor excuse for a man that murdered her,” Cohen added.

If this murder can teach people anything, it might just be to take more ownership in their neighbor's business.

"I let her down; we all let her down, shame on me,” Cohen concluded.

The gas leak was not the home’s first criminal incident, St. Joseph County Police responded twice in the last two weeks in reference to threat reports.

Neighbors say the mounting tension had a lot to do with Cocot's wife Marsha and a girlfriend he kept on the side.

Emergency workers say this incident could have ended much worse.  Simply put, the gas pressure inside the home was such that firefighters believe an explosion was imminent. Such a blast would have sent debris in every direction and likely taken out other homes on the block.

Eric Bell

Eric Bell

Man Found Fatally Shot At Apartments

Police Called To Hearts Landing In Fatal Shooting

WRTV-6
June 10, 2011

INDIANAPOLIS -- A man was fatally shot early Friday morning on Indianapolis' east side during an apparent domestic argument.  Indianapolis police were called to the Hearts Landing Apartments, in the 9400 block of East 43rd Street, a little after 3:30 a.m.  Police found the body of Eric Bell, 23, after there were numerous reports of shots fired.

"There were several individuals present with the victim at the time officers arrived on scene, and they have been cooperating with detectives," said Indianapolis police Sgt. Linda Jackson.  Witnesses told police that a suspect came into the apartment and put a gun in the mouth of one of two female occupants.

According to witnesses, Bell told the suspect, whose identity wasn't immediately released, that he had to leave the apartment.  Bell and the man went outside, and the suspect shot Bell, witnesses told police.

Other information from Fox59

Police are interviewing several witnesses in an early morning east side homicide that happened in the Hearts Landing apartment complex. Shortly after 3:30am, the 911 call center received several reports of multiple shots fired in the area of 9400 E 43rd St.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers arrived a very short time later found Eric Bell shot to death in the parking lot.

"He was a good loving father and did a lot for family and didn't have enemies wasn't a trouble maker or nothing he was a good person and I don't understand why somebody would do him like that," said Quintel Williams the mother of victim's children.

Police say there was a domestic fight earlier in the evening that involved Eric Bell and a possible suspect that may have led to the shooting.  There were several people at the crime scene when officers arrived and police say they have been cooperating with detectives.

Quintel Williams says it will be difficult moving forward, "It's gonna be hard cause I don't know to explain to my kids about their father being gone but I got support we gonna make it through make it through."

UPDATE

INDIANAPOLIS -- A man was arrested Friday, hours after another man was fatally shot during an apparent domestic argument on Indianapolis' east side.

Indianapolis police said Kendall Johnson, 21, killed Eric Bell, 23, at about 3:30 a.m. at the Hearts Landing Apartments in the 9400 block of East 43rd Street.  Bell's body was found after there were numerous reports of shots fired in the area.

Police said Johnson was arrested Friday morning in the 6000 block of Massachusetts Avenue on two outstanding warrants involving battery and resisting law enforcement.  Witnesses told police the shooter came into the apartment and put a gun in the mouth of one of two female occupants.

According to witnesses, Bell told the man that he had to leave the apartment.  Bell and the man went outside, and the suspect shot Bell, witnesses told police.

Angela Holder

Bloomington Suspect in Stabbing Death of Woman Was Just Out of Jail

By Laura Lane
June 8, 2011

Angela Holder’s 16-year-old daughter came home Tuesday afternoon and found her family’s apartment locked and her mom’s car gone. So she and her grandmother contacted the maintenance man to let them inside, where they found Holder dead in a pool of blood.

The 39-year-old mother of two had been stabbed, at least nine times, in the neck and upper chest. Police believe her ex-boyfriend, 48-year-old Bruce Edward Foster, killed her with a butter knife he had attempted to use to pry open a window at the Canterbury Square apartment.

Foster, who lives in Southcrest Mobile Home Manor on Gordon Pike and has a lengthy criminal record, had not been arrested as of Wednesday evening. He is black, six-foot-one and weighs 142 pounds. Police say he is armed and dangerous..

Foster was released from jail Monday after a court hearing and is scheduled to be sentenced July 28 on charges of possessing cocaine and maintaining a common nuisance from an April 1 arrest.  During that hearing, a deputy prosecutor asked Judge Kenneth Todd to keep Foster in jail. Instead, the judge allowed Foster to be released and ordered him to check in daily at the probation department until the sentencing.  Holder attended the hearing, and when it was over asked where she should go to pick up Foster.  The very next day, police say, Foster killed Holder, who apparently had broken off their relationship for another man.

Bloomington Police Department Detective William Jeffers outlined in court Wednesday what police believe happened at 512 S. Basswood Drive, Apt. C, on Tuesday afternoon. Senior Judge Elizabeth Mann then issued an arrest warrant charging Foster with murder, auto theft and being a habitual criminal offender.

Jeffers gave the following account: A man who lives across from Holder’s apartment said he stepped outside to smoke a cigarette between 10 and 10:30 Tuesday morning. He reported seeing Foster with a 10-inch butter knife, trying to pry open a second-story window at Holder’s residence.

The victim then pulled up in her blue Chrysler Concorde, and she and Foster started arguing. The neighbor saw Foster holding the knife, and said Holder went inside and then threw what appeared to be Foster’s belongings out the door. He said Foster then forced his way into the apartment and the door closed.

He reported hearing “six or seven thumps” before Foster emerged from the front door, got into Holder’s car and drove away. Just five minutes passed, the neighbor said, from the time Holder came home to Foster leaving in her Chrysler.

The woman’s daughter told police Holder and Foster were no longer in a relationship.  “Her interest in another man may have been the motive for this crime,” Jeffers told the judge.

Foster’s criminal record in Monroe County goes back to a 1986 forgery charge. He has five felony convictions, for forgery, burglary, theft, fraud and receiving stolen property.  In Owen County, between 1997 and 2000, Foster was arrested for battery and for domestic battery against his former wife, who divorced him in 2002. Foster also was cited five times in Owen County for letting his dogs run loose.

Three times in the past, the Monroe County prosecutor’s office filed habitual offender petitions against Foster. Such a petition can be filed if a defendant has two prior unrelated felony convictions; it adds substantial jail time to a sentence.  Each time, the petitions were dismissed.

The first was in 2002, when Foster agreed to plead guilty to fraud if the habitual offender charge disappeared. The habitual offender sentence enhancement was filed again in 2008, when Foster was charged with battery on a corrections officer. Because the charge applies to prison staff and not to local jailers, it was reduced to a misdemeanor, so there was no felony conviction.

Then in August 2010, the prosecutor’s office filed a third habitual criminal petition against Foster when he was charged with theft for reaching through the open window of a car and stealing a purse.

“Although clearly that does constitute a felony theft, there were not sufficient aggravating circumstances to justify the imposition of that sanction,” Monroe County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Bob Miller said when asked why the habitual offender petition was dismissed. “We filed it to induce a guilty plea to the charge.”  Foster did plead guilty, to a less-serious charge of conversion, and spent 77 days in jail.

The victim and Sean Holder, the father of her two daughters, divorced in March 2009. Court records indicate that more than a year later, in May 2010, there were concerns about the custody and safety of the children.  Monroe Circuit Judge Francie Hill spoke with both parents and one of the daughters, then ordered the probation department to “conduct a criminal investigation of the mother’s current boyfriend, Bruce E. Foster.” The confidential report was made available to both parents for viewing in the judge’s office.

UPDATE

June 10, 2011

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - The man wanted in connection with Tuesday’s fatal stabbing in Bloomington turned himself in to police Friday in Indianapolis.

Bruce Edward Foster, 48, was wanted in Bloomington on charges including murder in connection with the death of Angela Holder, who was found dead in her apartment Tuesday evening.

Witnesses told police they saw Foster and Holder arguing outside of her apartment on Basswood Drive earlier Tuesday, then Holder failed to show up for work Tuesday evening.

Police said Foster left the scene in Holder’s car. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police said Foster told them Friday that he drove the victim’s car to the Wheeler Mission in downtown Indianapolis

He is being held Friday in Marion County Jail on a hold for Monroe County. This is the second time Foster has been arrested in Indianapolis on a warrant out of Monroe County.

Devon Parsons

Devon Parsons

Two arrested for murder of 12-year-old

By Daniel Miller, WISH-TV
June 5, 2011

A 12 year-old Greensburg boy is dead. Police said Devin Parsons was murdered. The boy's mother and her boyfriend are now behind bars. It happened in the 600 block of E. Washington Street in Greensburg.

A lone teddy-bear sits outside near the home where Greensburg police say a 12 year-old Devin Parsons died Friday. Crime tape also surrounds the home where several police standing guard. Late Friday night police arrested the boy's mother, 29 year-old Tasha Parsons and her boyfriend, 30 year-old Waldo Jones. Investigators said little Devin was murdered.

"I kind of almost expected it, but definitely in awe, like wow," said Bobbie Gilland.

Gilland is Jones' sister. Gilland said she contacted authorities numerous times this year about the boy and his siblings’ safety. She told 24 Hour News 8 she alerted investigators the children inside the home were in danger.

"I told them about how he didn't allow the kids lunch; how he beat them if they missed the bus, they had to wake themselves up," Gilland said.

Gilland wasn't the only one who called police.  Stacy Damaree alerted authorities too.

"I called CPS numerous times myself, you know hoping that something would be done about these kids and now it's a shame that this had to happen this way," Damaree said.  "Even though Gilland and Damaree say they called police about what was going on inside that house, we weren't able to find anything on Tasha Parsons. However, we did find a criminal past on Waldo Jones.

According to Indiana Department of Corrections, Jones was released from prison in July of 2010.  Jones had been sentenced in August of 2009 for operating a vehicle while intoxicated with a prior conviction for OWI on his record.  "I just think something should have and could have been done," said Gilland.

Damaree said she's feels awful something like this happened.  "I hope that they wake up and realize that they are getting calls like this, this isn't no joke. This is children's lives," Damaree said.

The Decatur County Prosecutor released a statement to 24 Hour News 8.  James Rosenberry said his office anticipated filing criminal charges against Tasha Parsons Monday morning.

UPDATE:

June 15, 2011

GREENSBURG, Ind. -- Court records detail a gruesome scene in the home of a 12-year-old boy police said was beaten to death by his mother.

The Decatur County coroner ruled last week that Devin Parsons, who was found dead in his family's Greensburg home June 3, died of multiple traumatic blunt-force trauma from head to toe.

Police said his mother, Tasha Parsons, 29, admitted to using her hands, feet, a belt and a metal tray to beat her son over a period of several hours while her boyfriend, Waldo Jones Jr., watched.

Court documents released Wednesday show police found blood in nearly every room in the home, on walls, furniture and clothing.

Investigators also took into evidence an empty medicine bottle, a framed picture of Devin with broken glass and dozens of cigarette butts throughout the home.

6News' Joanna Massee spoke Wednesday to Kristi Schofner, who called 911 the day Devin was found dead.

Schofner said Jones rode his bicycle to her home and told her the boy was unresponsive, telling her different versions of what had happened to the child.

"First, he was mentioning that he might have been drowned, then he said his mom laid on him and he couldn't breathe," Schofner said.

Schofner said she only met Devin Parsons a few times.

"They never ever had their kids. Devin watched the kids (his siblings) constantly if they weren't at her dad's house," Schofner said. "He didn't even have a good childhood. He had a miserable childhood."

Jones's former friend, Rick Peetz, said he also spoke with Jones after the beating.

"He said, 'There's a little boy up there, and I don't think he's breathing.' I said, 'Oh my God,'" Peetz recounted.

Jones was charged with neglect of a dependent causing death.

Parsons, who faces a murder charge, said she beat the boy because he had hidden her pain pills and wouldn't tell her where they were.

According to court records, the Department of Child Services had previously investigated Devin's home in 2009.

Lisa A. Hankins

Lisa A. "Nettie" Hankins

Gaston Reserve Officer Kills Estranged Wife

Police say Benjamin Hankins, 36, shot and killed his wife, Lisa A. Hankins, 32, Friday morning at his house in Harrison Township

MUNCIE (June 3, 2011) - Police say a reserve officer with the Gaston Police Department shot and killed his estranged wife Friday morning during a domestic dispute in his Harrison Township home.

The victim, Lisa A. "Nettie" Hankins, 32, was pronounced dead at IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital. She suffered multiple gunshot wounds, Delaware County Coroner Scott Hahn said.

Her husband, Benjamin Allan Hankins, 36, called 911 at 7:44 a.m. to report his wife had been shot in his house, in the 5800 block of North Delaware County Road 600-W, just north of Bethel Avenue. He was taken into custody at the scene and has been preliminarily charged with murder, according to Capt. Richard Pickett with the Delaware County Sheriff's Office.

Lisa Hankins had filed for divorce last September, and the case was still pending at the time of her death, according to court records.

In a frantic call to 911 dispatchers, Benjamin Hankins reported his wife "pulled my gun on me. And then I shot back." (See update below).  Pickett on Friday night confirmed more than one weapon was found at the scene.

The police captain said the shooting occurred after Lisa Hankins had stopped at her husband's home so their two oldest children could catch the bus to Wes-Del Elementary School.  "It was during the time when kids were going to school and getting on the buses, and we're trying to find out all those details," Pickett said.

The couple's third child, who is 4, was apparently waiting outside in a car when her mother was shot.  "My wife and I were having an argument," Hankins said during one of three separate conversations with dispatchers.

Asked where his wife had been hit by gunfire, Hankins said there was a wound "right in the chest (and) there's one in the arm."  Hankins sounded panicked as a dispatcher repeatedly urged him to try to perform CPR on his wife, whom he indicated was not breathing.  "There's all kinds of blood," he said. "I... I... I can't."

Pickett said Lisa Hankins was still alive when police arrived at the scene. She was taken to the Muncie hospital, where doctors attempted a life-saving surgery, according to Coroner Hahn.

Pickett said Lisa and Benjamin Hankins were not living together at the time of the shooting. She is listed in court documents at a Muncie address.  Gaston police Cpl. James Dixon said Benjamin Hankins has been a reserve officer with his department for about three years. He declined further comment about the shooting, calling it an "open investigation."  "It's a sad day for us, it's a sad day for the family," Dixon said. "We knew their family well. They've come to all our events and things like that, so we need to let the investigation take its course."

According to Delaware Circuit Court 4 records, Lisa Hankins sued her husband for divorce last Sept. 13, saying her marriage had "suffered an irretrievable breakdown."  While the divorce suit was pending, Lisa Hankins was granted custody of the couple's three children, who range in age from 9 to 4. The couple reached an agreement in late October for Benjamin Hankins to continue to pay the family's baby-sitting expenses and "visitation shall be as the parties agree."

On Dec. 1, Benjamin Hankins requested a citation be issued against his estranged wife, claiming she "fails and refuses" to abide by that visitation agreement.  A Dec. 22 order by Delaware Circuit Court 4 Judge John Feick indicates that dispute involved the Thanksgiving holiday, and Feick specified, by the day and hour, where the children would be during the Christmas holidays.  A final hearing, at which the divorce presumably would have been granted, was set for Feb. 11, but Benjamin Hankins requested a continuance, reporting he had "just started a new job and is unable to miss work."

The hearing was reset for May 10. Lisa Hankins' attorney, Kristin Willadsen, requested a subpoena for Benjamin Hankins to provide documentation that his work schedule had in fact prevented him from attending the February hearing.  On May 10, however, both Lisa and Benjamin Hankins and their attorneys -- Willadsen and Jack Quirk, who represented Benjamin -- asked that the matter be "continued until further order."

Transcript of Hankin's 911 calls here.

UPDATE

MUNCIE -- A police report released Monday indicates the 4-year-old daughter of Lisa A. "Nettie" Hankins and her estranged husband, Benjamin Allan Hankins, listened in as her father shot and killed her mother Friday morning in his Harrison Township home.

A probable cause affidavit for Benjamin Hankins' arrest on preliminary murder charges reports the preschooler told an investigator with the Delaware County Sheriff's Office that she was outside when she overheard her father tell her mother to "lay down and die," to which her mother responded, "I'm sorry Ben, I'm sorry and I don't want to die."

The girl, who had reportedly seen Benjamin Hankins "come to the door with a gun behind his back," then listened as he shot her mother "several times" inside the house.  The document also contains several other previously unreleased details of the shooting, including Benjamin Hankins' recollection of the attack to investigators just hours after it occurred.

At 7:44 a.m. Friday, emergency dispatchers received a 911 call from Benjamin Hankins, who said he had shot his wife in his house in the 5800 block of North Delaware County Road 600-W, just north of Bethel Avenue.

When officers arrived, according to the report, they found Lisa Hankins, 32, lying on the floor in the kitchen. She was rushed to IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital, where doctors attempted a life-saving surgery before her death, according to Delaware County Coroner Scott Hahn.  Hahn said Monday he was awaiting results of Lisa Hankins' autopsy.

According to the affidavit, Benjamin Hankins, 36, told investigators Friday he had recently separated from Lisa, his wife of 10 years. Lisa Hankins had filed for divorce last September, and the case was still pending at the time of her death, according to court records.

Benjamin Hankins said the shooting occurred after Lisa Hankins had stopped at her husband's home so their two oldest children, ages 9 and 8, could catch the bus to Wes-Del Elementary School. Their youngest child, a 4-year-old daughter, was reportedly left alone in the car when an argument broke out between her parents.

In a frantic call to 911 dispatchers, Benjamin Hankins, a reserve police officer with the Gaston Police Department and employee with the Indiana Department of Corrections, claimed he shot his wife in self-defense after Lisa Hankins "pulled my gun on me. And then I shot back."

Benjamin Hankins' statements to police, according to the report, do not indicate his reasoning behind the attack, however. Police on Friday did confirm more than one weapon was found at the scene.

During the argument, Benjamin Hankins told investigators, he "went into the living room and retrieved a gun from the couch" and then "pointed the gun at Mrs. Hankins and shot her several times." Benjamin Hankins said he shot at Lisa Hankins more than once, but was unsure exactly how many times bullets struck her.

The police report also indicates a recent history of threats, in the form of emails and text messages, from Benjamin Hankins to Lisa Hankins. Kurt Walthour, an investigator with the Delaware County Sheriff's Office, would not comment Monday on the content of those threats, citing the ongoing investigation.

Walthour did note Benjamin Hankins' demeanor in his interview with investigators on Friday following the shooting.  "(Benjamin Hankins) showed little emotion," Walthour said.

Zachary Craig, a deputy prosecutor with the Delaware County Prosecutor's Office, said Monday he expects formal murder charges against Benjamin Hankins to be filed Wednesday in Delaware Circuit Court 2.

Jeffrey Spence Jr.

Jeffrey Spence Jr., 28, killed June 27

Spence was fatally stabbed during an argument with his brother while at a party at the man's home at 421 E. Pettit Ave., police said. Spence was taken to a hospital around 11:20 p.m., when police were called, but died shortly after midnight of wounds to the chest. His brother, Jeremy A. Spence, was arrested on a preliminary charge of aggravated battery after admitting to stabbing his brother because he had been shutting the door to his home without consent, according to police. Witnesses said heavy drinking played a role. Jeremy A. Spence pleaded guilty to manslaughter and received 30 years in prison, with 10 years suspended.

Also:

A Fort Wayne man has been arrested in connection with his brother’s stabbing death Saturday night.

Jeffery Spence Jr., 28, died shortly after midnight Saturday of a stab wound to the chest, the Allen County Coroner’s Office said in a statement. The death was ruled the county’s 17th homicide this year. Spence was taken to a hospital in critical condition after police were called to a home at 241 E. Pettit Ave. about 11:20 p.m. Saturday on a report of a stabbing.

Based on the initial investigation, police believe that Spence was visiting a resident of that home. An argument between Spence and the resident turned physical and Spence was stabbed during the fight, police said.
The victim’s brother, Jeremy A. Spence, 27, was arrested and taken to the Allen County Jail on a preliminary charge of aggravated battery in connection with the stabbing, police said Sunday.

Police were first called to the house at 11:08 p.m. when a neighbor reported a disturbance. Jeremy Spence and a woman, who both live at the house, were arguing loudly, said neighbor Rick Papazian, 56.

"There seemed to be something going on between the two of them," Papazian said. He heard glass bottles break and decided to call the police.

According to daily activity logs, police left the scene at 11:17 p.m.  "I was about ready to call the cops again because there was a lot of commotion going on," Papazian said.  Shortly after that, he heard the female neighbor calling for help.

Police spokeswoman Raquel Foster said the police were called, and the woman flagged down a nearby police officer.  Neighbors said they called the police twice in the past several weeks for disturbances at the house.

Papazian said the neighbors had always been loud, but things seemed to get more out of control this summer.  "There’s nothing like this that ever happened around here before," said Papazian, who grew up on the block.

Robert Andrews

Robert Andrews

Wife charged with murder in shooting, fire

Dottie Andrews set fire in garage before shooting estranged husband and his dog, police documents say

June 23, 2009

NASHVILLE — Dottie Andrews told a police detective that she shot her estranged husband once with a .25-caliber handgun early Friday morning.

Then, when he continued breathing, she shot him again.

Tuesday afternoon, Brown County Prosecutor Jim Oliver charged the 40-year-old woman with murder, arson and burglary.

She is accused of setting a fire at the Brown County home she once shared with her husband, breaking into the residence and then killing 44-year-old Robert Andrews as he slept.

She then put the man’s dog up on the bed and shot it dead as well.

The accused killer told police she intended to then kill herself, but the gun jammed.

From her bed at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, where she is recovering from burns and smoke inhalation, she told Indiana State Police Detective Jeff Deckard she tried to carry the dog from the house, was overcome by the fire and then ran out and called 911.

After the blaze was extinguished, a sheriff’s deputy found her lying in a three-sided chicken coop near the house at 7880 Whispering Pines Drive in northern Brown County.

She had filed for divorce April 7.

She also was granted a restraining order against her husband in May, alleging he had been threatening toward her in the past.

A notebook found inside her red Chevrolet Blazer at the scene of the shooting was open to a page with the following words written on it: “I will see you in hell. The things you have done to me, not only cheating on me, but beating me up and raped me too, you sick freak.”

According to Deckard’s account of interviews with Dottie Andrews, the couple’s 20-year marriage had ended badly.

They had been living apart for more than 18 months.

She told Deckard she drove to the Whispering Pines subdivision about three miles north of Helmsburg last Thursday evening and parked down the road from her former home. She watched her husband grill his dinner and drink beer outside. She waited for an hour after the lights had gone out, then broke a window and entered the residence.

She told Deckard she looked at her husband’s cell phone and discovered that hours earlier he had called “some people he had promised that he wouldn’t communicate with,” according to an affidavit filed in the case. “‘She said this made her furious.”

She went to the garage and set a fire, then returned to the house.

“She said she went into Robert’s bedroom where he was asleep and shot Robert with a .25-caliber handgun,” the affidavit said. “He continued to breathe, and she shot him again.”

Her relatives said she had been living in Indianapolis the past few months with her sister.

They reported that Robert Andrews had been calling and threatening her two or three times a day, in violation of the protective order granted in Brown Circuit Court.

Dottie Andrews remains hospitalized in police custody. Oliver said she will be transported to the Brown County Jail in Nashville and held without bond when she is released.

She was listed in critical condition last Friday. Tuesday, hospital officials would not release information about her condition.

Oliver said she is expected to recover and return to face the charges against her.

Wallace William "Bill" Earle

Bill Earle

Initial Hearing In Gibson County Murder Case

Posted: Jun 10, 2009 7:14 PM EDT

by Jamie Rose


GIBSON CO., IN - A Gibson County woman sits behind bars today after being arrested for allegedly killing her husband.

Indiana State Police say Barbara Earle shot her husband multiple times, and is now facing up to 65 years if convicted.

NEWS 25 was at Earle's initial hearing today, finding out where the case goes from here.

57-year-old, Barbara Earle, went before the Gibson County Superior Court Judge today, determining who will represent her, and when she's due back in court.

Right now Earle faces murder charges, but after talking with the County Prosecutor, we're told it's an ongoing investigation.

A protective shield of Sheriff's Deputies escorted Earle into the courtroom today.

Barbara Earle faces murder charges for allegedly killing her husband, 65-year-old, Wallace William Earle.

Gibson County Prosecutor, Robert Kreig, tells NEWS 25, "Various information that came in over a short period of time, again, led us to suspecting Ms. Earle and ultimately leading to her arrest."

NEWS 25 sat in on today's initial hearing where Earle heard the charges brought against her.

Police say Barbara Earle used a .38 caliber handgun to shoot her husband multiple times at their Somerville home.

Police say Earle's body was discovered by family just before five Friday evening.

"Based upon the investigation led by the State Police and Gibson County Sheriff's Department, the things that they eliminated was part of the reason that led to who she is," says Kreig. "And that would be like is there some sort of robbery that occurred there that had gone wrong there or anything like that. There really doesn't seem to be any evidence, anything like that, so we start looking to see who had opportunity who otherwise would have known the person."

Kreig tells NEWS 25 it's just one of many factors leading up to Earle's arrest. "Allegedly she (Barbara Earle) has made some admissions to other family members but again, that's just allegations that have been made so far, and obviously she's innocent until proven guilty."

Kreig says it's still an ongoing investigation. According to Kreig, "There are a number of things law enforcement is continuing to do, interviews with potential witnesses, people that may have overheard Ms. Earle talk or she may have had a conversation with."

NEWS 25 is told the weapon has yet to be found.

Earle is set to be back in court June 17 at 10:30am.

Beth Stayer

Beth Stayer

5-year-old Says He Saw Dad Fatally Beat Mom, Court Papers Say

June 20, 2009 by Robert Annis | Star staff

5-year-old witnessed attack by his father, according to court papers

A 5-year-old allegedly witnessed his father beat his mother so severely in her Whitestown home that she died the next day, according to court documents.

Prosecutors say Michael Stayer, 32, beat his ex-wife, Beth Stayer, 34, with a hammer and a tire iron June 11. He has been charged with murder and could face the death penalty.

Emergency medical workers found Beth Stayer nearly lifeless in her 2-year-old daughter’s room and immediately transferred the woman to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. She died the next day from her injuries.

Beth and Michael Stayer had been divorced less than two months.

The couple’s 5-year-old son witnessed the attack, according to the probable cause affidavit. The boy heard a commotion and screaming coming from his 2-year-old sister’s room and went upstairs, Jennifer Essex said in the affidavit. Essex is with the Indiana Department of Child Services.

Essex said the boy described a bloody scene, stating that “dad had hit mommy” and his father had used a hammer and “a killer,” which police believe was a tire iron found in Michael Stayer’s Jeep. Asked if his parents had been violent with one another before, the boy said he didn’t want to talk about it anymore.

Dr. Marla Souder of Community Psychological Consultants, Indianapolis, is not involved in the case but said it’s beneficial for the boy’s mental health that he can communicate about it on his own terms.

He can be expected to have a hard time processing and sorting out what he witnessed, and he likely will go through multiple stages of grief as he mourns the loss of his mother and separation from his father, Souder said. That could develop into post-traumatic stress, she explained.

At 2, the Stayers’ daughter is unlikely to remember much about this incident, but she will live it through her brother’s experience, and that will have a lifelong effect, Souder said.

After police got to the scene, they said, Stayer’s brother, David Stayer, arrived and wanted to leave with the children and his brother’s vehicle, which potentially had evidence inside. Police are searching Michael Stayer’s cell phone records to see if he called or texted instructions to his brother.

Michael Stayer was arrested soon after the attack and is being held in the Boone County Jail without bond.

In addition to the murder charge, he faces felony counts of aggravated battery, battery resulting in serious bodily injury and domestic battery. He’s scheduled to go on trial Oct. 19 in Boone County. If convicted on all four counts, he could face up to 96 years in prison.

The two children are staying with a foster family.

A hearing is scheduled for Friday, where Boone Circuit Judge Steve David could decide if the children will remain with the foster family or be released to family members.

Angie Warnock

Man arrested in stabbing death of estranged wife

June 23, 2009 by Bruce Smith | Star staff

BROWNSBURG, Ind. — In the last minutes of Father’s Day, police believe, a Brownsburg man violently stabbed his estranged wife to death.

The couple’s two daughters, ages 8 and 12, slept with their mother as the attack began before midnight Sunday. The girls ran and escaped injury, police said.

“Daddy stabbed Mommy,” one of the girls said in a 911 call after her father left early Monday. They hid in a closet about 20 minutes, police said.

Joseph L. Warnock, 41, is charged with murder in the death of Angela A. Warnock, 38. He was arrested about 9 p.m. Monday north of Brownsburg and taken to Hendricks County Jail in Danville.

Detectives said Angela Warnock was stabbed many times. Sheriff’s Detective Sgt. Charles Morefield described injuries to her arms as “defensive wounds, like she tried to resist.”

“This looked like a crime of passion,” he said.

A judge had ordered Joseph Warnock to stay away from the family home in the 10400 block of Splendor Way in the Eagle Crossing subdivision, about a half-mile west of 56th Street and Raceway Road on the Hendricks-Marion county line.

Shortly before midnight, Warnock parked in a church lot about a quarter-mile from the home, walked through farm fields and broke in the patio door, investigators believe. He stabbed his wife with a steak knife, a weapon he apparently took to the house, detectives said.

Police and their dogs tracked Warnock to the church lot but didn’t find him during a search around Eagle Creek Park and nearby areas on the Northwestside of Indianapolis.

Sheriff’s officials said a caller reported seeing a man matching Warnock’s description sitting next to a utility box in the 10500 block of East County Road 600 North — about a quarter-mile from the Warnock home.

An off-duty officer working night security at Eagle Crossing arrested Warnock without incident, sheriff’s officials said.

“Our officers recognized him immediately,” Morefield said. “He just put his hands in the air and gave up.”

Warnock was shirtless and wearing shorts and tennis shoes. He was dirty and had light scratches on his body — the kind that might come from running through twigs, Morefield said.

Joseph Warnock filed for divorce Friday, the same day a court hearing discussed extending a protective order for Angela Warnock and the girls.

In a court document, Angela Warnock had asked for the family home. She had planned to take the daughters to live with her family in Hawaii within a few days.

Joseph Warnock had asked the court to prevent her from taking the children from Indiana, according to another document.

Angela Warnock had filed for the protective order in May. Neighbors said Joseph Warnock jogged through the Eagle Crossing neighborhood in recent days, though the protective order required him to stay away.

Angela Warnock — “Angie” to friends — worked at a Brownsburg beauty salon. Friends said she was active in her girls’ education, and both parents enjoyed sports with their children. Joseph Warnock sells tanning beds, and he coached a daughter’s basketball team.

Both graduated from Ben Davis High School. Joseph Warnock ran cross country and graduated in 1986. Angela Warnock, a 1988 grad, participated in track and field.

Denise A. Barrone

Denise A. Barrone

Teen pleads not guilty in killing

He's charged in June 27 stabbing death of his aunt.

July 8, 2009

A 17-year-old boy entered a preliminary plea of not guilty Tuesday after being charged with murder in the stabbing death of his aunt last month.

Aaron Lloyd Randolph, of the 3000 block of Schele Avenue, is accused of killing Denise A. Barrone, 48, his mother's twin sister, after a fishing trip June 27.

Allen Superior Court documents say Randolph had thoughts of killing and had been planning to kill his aunt for some time. Once he and his aunt returned to her house at 334 Dalgren Ave. after fishing, he acted on his plan, according to the probable-cause affidavit.

He pulled out a knife and stabbed Barrone while she was in her bedroom, the affidavit said. When she tried to escape by breaking out the window in the front door, he pulled her back in and continued to stab her. He then punched and kicked her several times, and grabbed a large sword and struck her numerous times on the back of the head and neck, the affidavit said.

Her death was ruled the city's 13th homicide.

Randolph is being held without bond. His next court appearance is 8:30 a.m. July 21 to set his trial date. Conviction on a murder charge brings a minimum 45-year sentence, according to the Indiana Code. Randolph is considered an adult because anyone over age 16 charged with murder faces an automatic upgrade for the charge.

Case status: Barrone’s 17-year-old nephew, Aaron Lloyd Randolph, was charged as an adult with murder. Police said the teenager was upset because his aunt had yelled at him. The two had gone fishing at Franke Park the same day. Randolph told police he “had been planning to kill his aunt for some time.” A trial date for Randolph has not been set.

Obituary

Denise Ann Barrone, 48, passed away Sunday, June 28, 2009 at her home in Fort Wayne.

Born in Fort Wayne, she worked as a nurse with Riverbend Healthcare and Lifecare Center for 11 years. She was a member of Broadway Christian Church and a U.S. Army Desert Storm veteran.

She is survived by her sisters, Diane (Jack) Randolph, and Linda O'Hair both of Fort Wayne; nieces, Jennifer (Jon) Schie, and Melissa Stockman both of Fort Wayne; nephews, Aaron Randolph, and D.J. O'Hair both of Fort Wayne. Denise was preceded in death by her parents, Ronald and Dorothy Barrone.

Funeral service is 2 p.m. Monday at D.O. McComb and Sons Lakeside Park Funeral Home, 1140 Lake Ave. Calling from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home.  Memorials may be made to the Christian Children's Fund or ASPCA.

Terra Haselberger

Hammond Couple Found Killed in Apparent Murder-Suicide

June 26, 2009

HAMMOND | A young man and woman were found dead in their rented house on a quiet Woodmar street Thursday afternoon in what police described as an apparent murder-suicide.

Investigators said Terra Haselberger, 22, suffered gunshot wounds to her neck and face, and Jeremy Fields, 31, was found with a single gunshot wound to his head at 6930 Chesapeake Place shortly before 4 p.m.

A large-caliber pistol lay on the floor near Fields' body, detectives said.

Neighbors reported an older sister of Haselberger, who has lived with couple in the home for the past two years, found them after Haselberger failed to return to her job as a receptionist at a nearby chiropractic clinic after lunch, police said.

Family members who gathered at the scene along the Erie-Lackawanna bike trail across from Elmwood Cemetery at 169th Street declined to talk about Haselberger, who grew up in Dyer, or Fields, who was from Valparaiso, except to say that he was unhappy with his recent inability to find work.

Neighbors said Haselberger also worked at a part-time job at a Hobart restaurant to make ends meet. But there were signs of trouble between the couple, they said.

Police were called to the couple's home on a domestic disturbance report on New Year's Eve, when neighbors said Fields chased Haselberger down the street firing a pistol.

Haselberger sought refuge at a neighbor's house, but then declined to tell the responding officers who was threatening her and they left on another call, said the neighbor, who asked not to be identified by name.

"I spend all my time with my boyfriend, who I love more than anything in this entire world," Haselberger recently wrote on her MySpace page, which featured photos of the couple with new tattoos of each other's names. "And pretty soon I will be his wifey!!!"

"And I also have an amazing family," she wrote.

Obituary

TERRA L. HASELBERGER HAMMOND/ FORMERLY OF DYER, IN Terra L. Haselberger, passed away on Thursday, June 25, 2009. She is survived by mother, Brenda Haselberger; one brother, Matthew Haselberger; two sisters: Rachel and Nicole Haselberger; grandparents; Lorraine Kraatz and Charles (Nadine) Haselberger; many aunts, uncles and cousins; one nephew, Nathan Daniel Haselberger; preceded in death by her father, Daniel in 2001; and grandfather, Roger B. Kraatz Sr. in 2007. Funeral services will be Tuesday, June 30, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. at the Fagen-Miller Funeral Home, 1920 Hart St. Dyer, IN. Interment Memory Lanes Cemetery in Schererville, IN. Relatives and friends may meet with the family on Monday, June 29, 2009 from 3:00-8:00 p.m. Terra was an employee of Hofferth, Family Chiropractic, where she served as an Office Manager. She enjoyed summer, going to the beach, helping others, whether young or old, her smile made you feel loved and welcomed. Her vibrant personality, contagious laugh, love of her family will be forever missed and cherished. Our lives will never be the same due to this tragic loss. Terra graduated in 2004 from Lake Central High School. Donations to the family would be appreciated

Elizabeth Lepucki

Judge hands out 65-year sentence in murder case

VALPARAISO | Mark Dunn told the court Friday his sister, Elizabeth Lepucki, had stayed with her boyfriend, John Norris, not out of love, but out of fear.

Dunn called Norris an animal and described how he mistreated Lepucki before beating her so badly June 18, 2008, that she later died.

"This court should show no compassion for this sentencing," Dunn said.

Porter Superior Judge Bill Alexa sentenced Norris to the maximum 65-year sentence, but suspended 10 years to be served on formal probation upon his release from prison. The sentence can be completed in half the time with good behavior and participation in various prison programs.

Norris, a Valparaiso resident who was appointed the continued use of a public defender after announcing his plans to file an appeal, said he was sorry and that he will have to live with his girlfriend's death the rest of his life.

"Beth was my best friend," he said. "I miss Beth more than words can ever express."

A jury found Norris guilty last month of murdering Lepucki. An autopsy revealed she had 46 old and new bruises on her body and died as a result of bleeding on the brain caused by blunt force trauma to her head.

Deputy Prosecutor Tammy Gregg said Friday the evidence presented during the trial was beyond horrifying and predicted Norris would continue with his violence if released from custody.

Defense attorney Dolores Aylesworth said Norris was abandoned by his father at age 3 and lived in fear from the ages of 5 to 15 with a stepfather who drank alcohol and verbally abused with his mother.

"Tragically, cycles of abuse repeat themselves," she said.

The Rev. Leonard Dubi, of St. Victor's Catholic Church in Calumet City, spoke out on Norris' behalf.

He said Norris did a good job while working as a custodian and maintenance man and is a kind person. He asked the judge for leniency.

Dubi said he did sit through the trial and did not know all the facts in the case.

While the sentence fell short of the maximum prison time sought by prosecutors and the victim's family, Lepucki's oldest daughter, Aubrey Lepucki, of Merrillville, was not upset.

"We're just glad it's over," she said. "We hope he doesn't get far with the appeal."

Norris will be back before Alexa on June 14 to stand trial on an unrelated charge of failing to register as a sex offender.

Preliminary hearings in that case are set for April 5 and May 10.