Laura M. Lewis

Woman found dead in Bloomington condo

Updated: Jan 15, 2008 7:01 PM EST

Lake Monroe - A woman was found dead in a condominium on Lake Monroe, and a man found in the condominium was taken to the hospital with injuries.

Indiana State Police Troopers were called to "The Pointe", a subdivision in southern Monroe County, by security for the subdivision to investigate the death of a female found in her residence just before 3:00 p.m.

Troopers arrived at 9586 S. Pointe LaSalle Drive and found 59-year-old Laura M. Lewis deceased.

Also found at the scene was an adult white male who was transported to the Bloomington Hospital.

Assisting at the scene was the Monroe County Sheriff's Office and the Monroe County Coroner's Office.

(It was found she had been shot by her husband.)

Debra Furnish

Police Identify Slain Woman Found Nude Beneath Overpass

Family Members Confirm Victim's Identity

POSTED: 6:35 am EST December 28, 2007

INDIANAPOLIS -- The identity of a woman whose nude body was found tossed over a chain link fence and into a gutter beneath an Interstate 65 overpass Thursday morning has been released.

Indianapolis Metro police said the family of Debra Furnish, 48, identified her at the Marion County Coroner's Office late Thursday.

An autopsy Friday determined that Furnish was a homicide victim, but further information was not immediately released.

Police did not release details of what led them to be able to identify Furnish, who lived downtown, near where her body was found.  Furnish's body had been thrown over a three-foot chain link fence at 12th Street and Central Avenue.

Two men found the body at about 8:30 a.m. Thursday and notified a man who lives nearby.  "Some black people stopped me and said that there is a nude, white female under the underpass," the caller told a 911 dispatcher.  The body was lying next to a sidewalk that runs along Central Avenue.

"As soon as we get her identified, that will help us a lot more with talking to people that may know her," IMPD Detective Bob Flack said Thursday.

Police ran the woman's fingerprints and determined that she did not have a criminal history in Marion County.

Authorities released two pictures of tattoos on the woman's body in hopes that someone would recognize them.  Investigators said early Thursday that they think the woman died elsewhere and that her body was dumped beneath the underpass.

According to IMPD, dark tire tracks were evident on the sidewalk near where the body was found, but they were not sure if that discovery was relevant to the case.  Police said they found no apparent signs of trauma before they removed the body.

Traffic was blocked at the underpass for several hours as investigators scoured the scene in search of clues. Residents said the body's discovery worries them about what is going on in the neighborhood.

"This is big time for something down here," said Dan Conn. "It's a relatively nice neighborhood, but things happen everywhere."

Also:

Indianapolis - Police have arrested a suspect for the murder of a woman found naked under a downtown overpass.

34-year-old Derek Martin was arrested Saturday on charges of murder and confinement in the death of a 48-year-old Debra Furnish. Her body was discovered Thursday under I-65 near 12th Street and Central Avenue. Investigators say he has a prior murder conviction.

Around 8:30 Thursday morning, a 911 operator received a call about a discovery made under the interstate overpass. The caller told the operator that two people had come to his door told him "there was a nude, white female under the overpass."

The body was found inside a fenced area below I-65. A neighbor, the one who phoned it in, called it "kind of shocking, but things happen."

"We don't have a cause or a manner of death or anything right now, but circumstances indicate it was probably not a natural death," said IMPD Sergeant Paul Thompson.

Another neighbor near 12th and Central said "I thought it was just terrible."

The naked victim probably died somewhere else. Police found no clothes at the scene. They did release photos of an eagle tattoo found on on the back of her shoulder, on the left side. There was also a second tattoo, a "tribal band" found on her upper right arm.

The information on the tattoos was released in hopes that someone might be able to identify the body. Shortly before midnight, IMPD issued a release saying the body had been identified. They say Ms. Furnish lived in the downtown area not far from where her body was found.

Just feet from where they found the body police found something else, possibly an important piece of evidence. Crime Lab technicians lifted impressions of heavy duty truck tires from the sidewalk. The truck that made them has double wheels on each side of the rear axle. Now they want to know if the truck jumped the curb to off-load the body.

"I've been here seven years and I've never seen anything as devastating as that," one neighbor told Eyewitness News.

The Old Northside Neighborhood is seeing a renaissance. Urban decay, evident less than ten years ago, has given way to restored, historic homes, well tended yards, and folks who walk their sidewalks and watch out for their neighbors.

"It's sad what happened to her, but I think our neighborhood is pretty safe," said one neighbor.

Another said "it's sad to see, especially at this time of year, that happen to someone. It's a relatively safe neighborhood. It's changed through the years but it's a fairly nice neighborhood now."

Jamie Barker

Woman Found Fatally Stabbed; Husband Arrested

Man Found Day After Wife Slain

POSTED: 10:55 pm EST December 22, 2007

GREENWOOD, Ind. -- Police said a Greenwood man suspected of killing his wife was taken into custody Sunday afternoon.

Jamie Barker, 31, was found fatally stabbed in her apartment in the Trotter's Point complex on Saturday afternoon.

Bartholomew County police found Barker's husband, Johnny Barker, 32, just after 1 p.m. Sunday.

Police said they believe the couple was involved in a domestic dispute before the stabbing.

The fatal stabbing marked Greenwood's first homicide in 2007.

Jennifer Miller

2 Found Dead In Apparent Homicide-Suicide

Passerby Found Man Dead In Car

POSTED: 6:18 pm EST December 8, 2007

INDIANAPOLIS -- Two people were found dead in an apparent homicide-suicide on Indianapolis' east side late Saturday afternoon after a passerby noticed a car parked in front of a home with someone inside for two days.

Police were called to the home in the 5100 block of East Tabor Street at about 4:30 p.m. after the passerby went to the car and found that the man inside was dead and that a gun was with him.

Officers said it appeared that the man inside, identified as Scott Clark, 48, of Indianapolis, had shot himself. When they went in the house, they found Jennifer Miller, 18, of Indianapolis, dead in a bedroom.

"There's a good possibility it happened yesterday," said Indianapolis Metro police Sgt. Paul Thompson. "The preliminary information was the car was in the same position yesterday or yesterday evening, so we're still working on those details."

A neighbor told 6News that lights inside the home had been on for two days and that the man had lived in the home for about two months.

Jessica H. Roberts

Fountain County Woman Shot by Live-in Boyfriend

Jessica H. Roberts, 36, was shot in head by live-in boyfriend, Arthur B. Manns Jr. The incident happened December 15, 2007. I couldn't find any additional information other than Arthur Manns was previously in prison in Indiana for possession of a controlled substance twice (1993-1999 from Lake County and 2000-2004 from Fountain County). No other information was found on him within the Indiana Corrections System.  If anyone could provide any further information, it would be greatly appreciated.

Eternity Brame

Eternity Brame

Appeals Court Affirms Sentence for Gary Baby Puncher

January 11, 2011

INDIANAPOLIS | The Indiana Court of Appeals on Friday refused to adjust the 35-year prison sentence for a Gary man who punched an infant while walking along Fifth Avenue in Gary, causing her death.

Christopher K. Washington, 21, pleaded guilty in September 2009 to felony battery in connection with the death of 5-month-old Eternity Brame.

According to court and police records, Washington was walking with his girlfriend's children, ages 5 and 6, and Brame, the daughter of Washington's girlfriend's sister, along Fifth Avenue toward Fillmore Street on Oct. 4, 2007, when Washington punched Brame several times.

Upon reaching Brame's aunt's home, Washington put Brame in a bed and didn't tell anyone what happened, according to court records. An autopsy showed the child died of a lacerated heart and liver, and a depressed skull fracture from several blows to her head, chest and back.

At the time of the incident, Washington was 18 years old and just three months out of the Lake County Juvenile Detention Center.

Washington asked the appeals court for a reduced sentence claiming the 35-year term was inappropriate in light of his character and nature of the crime.

In a 3-0 decision, the Court of Appeals emphatically rejected Washington's request, pointing out that he received less time than the 50-year maximum sentence and agreeing with the trial court that Washington's actions were "brutal."

"Washington struck a defenseless infant with his fist several times, causing her death, in the presence of other young children," Senior Judge John Sharpnack wrote.

The court said Washington's juvenile record, including crimes equal to robbery and intimidation for an adult, history of substance abuse and repeated probation violations, also weighed against a sentence reduction.

Obituary:

BABY ETERNITY UNIQUE BRAME Gary, Indiana Age 4 months, passed away on Wednesday, October 4, 2007. Eternity was born May 7, 2007, in Gary, Indiana. She was a well loved daughter of Kortisha R. Spencer & Eugene J. Brame. She departed from many family members, mother, Kortisha Spencer; father, Eugene Brame; brother, Eugene Brame Jr.; sister, Tyaisha Brame; great-grandmother, Louise Johnson; grandparents, Linda (Larry) McJefferson, Janice Brame, Ronald Overton, James Bobo; 5 aunts, Rose Bobo, Tiffany Spencer, PaTrisha Brame, Jamie Kimbrough, Jermil Kimbrough; 5 uncles, Jermaine Kimbrough, Antione Brame, Dewon (Kim-berly) Brame, William Lewis, and Louis Spencer; godmother/ cousin, Mozell Quarles; and all her loving cousins, great-aunts, great-uncles, other relatives and friends who reside in Gary, IN, and many different cities. Visitation Sunday, October 14, 2007, from 12 noon to 8:00 p.m. with family hour from 6 - 8:00 p.m. at the Guy & Allen Chapel, 2959 W. 11th Ave. Funeral service Monday, October 15, 2007, at 2:00 p.m. at Old Path COGIC, 2117 McKinley Street. Pastor Lynnell Walters officiating. Interment Oak Hill Cemetery. Professional services rendered by: Guy & Allen Funeral Directors, Inc. Published in Post-Tribune on October 14, 2007

Eva B. Groves

Man Sentenced in "Granny" Stabbing

Published : Wednesday, 03 Jun 2009, 4:29 PM EDT

NEW CASTLE, Ind. (AP) -- - A central Indiana man has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for stabbing his grandmother to death.

36-year-old Gregory Lee Galloway had been found guilty but mentally ill of murder in the October 2007 death of 84-year-old Eva B. "Granny" Groves in the mobile home they shared in Hillsboro, about 40 miles east of Indianapolis.

Henry Circuit Judge Mary Willis sentenced Galloway on Tuesday and noted his long history of mental problems.

Family members said they had repeatedly sought treatment for Galloway, who was diagnosed with disorders related to schizophrenia.

Susan Moulder

Susan Moulder

Carmel police puzzled over apparent murder-suicide

October 7, 2007

Carmel - Police are puzzled by an apparent murder-suicide involving a couple who were about to get married. There were no signs of violence or any other warnings to indicate trouble with the relationship.

A graduate of Purdue University and Carmel High School, 29-year-old Susan Moulder lived to travel and loved music. She posted her interests on her MySpace and Facebook pages. There are also messages on those pages of congratulations for her recent engagement, as well as pictures of Moulder and her fiance, 36-year-old Jason Broadwater.

The two lived together in a Carmel home for the past three months. They died there together. Police found their bodies Friday. Investigators say it was Broadwater who pulled the trigger in an apparent murder-suicide.

The case comes as a surprise to police, who say they've never been called to the home before for domestic problems. Police say the two attended neighborhood functions and were well liked.

Broadwater was a nuclear technician for the Care Group at the Heart Center. His family declined to talk, but wrote in his obituary that he "cherished patient care."

Moulder offered no indication of problems or second thoughts on her MySpace site, only excitement over their impending nuptials. Her last entry, dated October 2, three days before her death, simply states, "Engaged!"

Police say they found two guns in the home, including one located next to Broadwater.

Toxicology tests will be conducted, but investigators may never know why the lives of a couple with such a promising future came to such a tragic end.

April Jones

Murder victims remembered at Jeffersonville vigil

October 4, 2007

BY STEPHANIE MOJICA

April Jones went out to Priya’s Bar and Grill Friday night to enjoy time with her brothers. Hours later, she and her 25-year-old brother were murdered just steps from the police station, and the other sibling nearly killed.

About 50 people showed up to the Jeffersonville restaurant’s parking lot Wednesday night to remember Jones, 21, her brother Dyjuan Latendresse, 25, and the continued recovery of Johnathan Jones Jr., 17, who is at University Hospital in Louisville after sustaining four gunshot wounds.

Latendresse and Derek Lawson, 25, got into an argument inside the Quartermaster Court bar early Saturday, according to Clark County Superior Court No. 1 documents. The altercation moved outside and got physical. April Jones tried to stop Lawson, a former friend of Latendresse’s, from shooting her siblings. Lawson allegedly shot Jones to death, then shot Latendresse and Johnathan Jones Jr. as they tried to run away, records say.

Louisville activist Christopher 2X led the Wednesday night vigil, which featured prayer, music, testimonies from other families of murder victims and calls for people not to take their pain out on themselves or others.

Christopher 2X — who has worked to comfort more than 100 families of homicide victims in the Louisville area — was also the person Lawson called when he wanted to turn himself in to Jeffersonville police.

Before accompanying Lawson to Jeffersonville, he notified the victims’ families to assure them this act did not lessen his support toward them.

“You can’t put together a textbook to stop violent crime,” Christopher 2X said at the service.

Christopher 2X, along with April and Johnathan Jones’ father, John, said they felt sorry for Lawson’s family. Lawson — who is being held with no bond on two counts of murder and one attempted murder charge — could go to prison for 110 to 180 years if convicted.

Lawson and Latendresse grew up as friends, but had a series of altercations with each other and run-ins with the law over the years, according to court records. Despite any of Latendresse’s flaws, violent crime was not the answer, John Jones said.

“He had a heart just like everybody else has a heart,” Jones said. “I’m still in shock.”

Jones was involved in Latendresse’s life since he was a toddler, and said he was blessed to have spoken to him as well as his own daughter hours before they died. Latendresse called Jones “Pops” in a phone conversation, and Jones said everyone was excited to go out for “open mic” night at Priya’s.

“The killing has got to stop,” Jones told the crowd. “I appreciate you all’s support.”

After the service, Jones remembered his daughter as a driven young woman who was working toward becoming a nurse and left behind a 1-year-old daughter.

They just came here to have a good time,” Jones said.

As for Lawson, Jones said he did not know enough about the reported conflicts to comment, but did add he felt “sorry” for him.

“He took two lives, one the precious innocent life of my daughter,” Jones said.

Funeral services are expected to be held Friday for both victims.


See post for dear brother Dyjuan Latendresse here.

Dyjuan Latendresse

Lawson nets 80 years for double murder in Jeffersonville

Families pack court amid controversy over plea

December 4, 2008

By MATT THACKER

The Jeffersonville man who pleaded guilty to killing two siblings outside Priya’s Bar and Grill in Jeffersonville was sentenced to 80 years in the Indiana Department of Correction on Wednesday.

Derek Lawson, 26, pleaded guilty in October to two counts of voluntary manslaughter and one count of attempted murder, all class A felonies, for the shooting deaths of Dyjuan Latendresse, 25, and April Jones, 21, and for trying to kill their younger brother, 17-year-old Jonathan Jones Jr. in September 2007.

Clark County Superior Court No. 1 Judge Vicki Carmichael had the option of choosing a sentence ranging from 20 years to 80 years in prison under the terms of the plea agreement.

Carmichael said in court that anything less than 80 years, as recommended by the state, would “diminish” the crimes.

Lawson received 20 years for the death of Latendresse and 30 years each for the death of April Jones and shooting of Jonathan Jones Jr. Each sentence will run consecutively.

Linda Jones, the mother of the three victims, testified that following the shooting was the “most devastating time of my life.” The mother of Latendresse’s two children also testified and asked the judge to consider the effect on her children growing up without a father.

Jonathan Jones Jr., now 18, burst into tears just before he was called to testify. Jones was shot five times during the same incident. He appears to have physically recovered, but said he missed most of his senior year of high school while healing.

“This is something I’ve got to live with the rest of my life,” he said. “Just because you fear someone don’t give you the right to kill them.”

At the hearing, Lawson’s mother, Mary Lawson, described her son and Latendresse as childhood friends. But she said a rift began to grow between the two of them after they suspected Latendresse of searching through their dresser drawers when the two were in high school.

She claims that in 2003, Latendresse stole Lawson’s gun and cell phone and then later shot him twice in the buttocks.

“He almost lost his life that day. My son almost lost his life that day,” Mary Lawson said.

The defense also argued that Latendresse and others broke into Lawson’s house in 2006 and tied him up and kicked him and shot another person in the house. Lawson’s mother claims her son became terrified to even go in Jeffersonville, the city where he grew up.

The defense also claimed that Lawson’s parent’s house was shot about 18 times for “revenge” following the fatal shooting.

“He feared Dyjuan Latendresse, and he had a reason to fear him,” Lawson’s mother said.

Derek Lawson apologized in court to the Jones family and his family and said he was “sincerely sorry” for what happened.

Patrick Renn, Lawson’s attorney, asked for 20 years in prison, which was the minimum sentence allowed.

He argued that the shooting was a “single criminal episode that occurred at one time” rather than serial shootings.

Deputy Prosecutor Bill Grimes argued that Lawson may have had a feud with Latendresse, but that “two innocent” victims also were shot.

Renn found fault with the judge’s decision to include Lawson’s previous arrests as aggravating factors. He said that since Lawson has not been convicted of any other charge, those arrests should not be considered. He also argued the fact that there was a “long-running feud” and Lawson was scared for his life supported a lighter sentence.

“I’m satisfied [about] what happened,” the victims’ mother said after the hearing.

Not everyone in the family was appeased, though.

Jonathan Jones said after the hearing that he still did not agree with the manslaughter charge and said the shooting was not done in “sudden heat.”

“All it was hate and envy,” he said. “Ain’t nothing going to change what happened.”

On Monday, the family held a press conference with several Louisville media outlets in the office of Louisville civil rights activist Christopher 2X. The family told the media that they opposed any plea agreement and wanted the case to go to trial.

Between Lawson’s family and the victims’ family, there were at least 50 people who came to the hearing. At least a dozen security officers were called to the courtroom area to make sure there were no problems.

Grimes addressed the audience in the courtroom when speaking about the importance of the fact that Lawson cannot appeal his conviction under the terms of the plea agreement. The sentence can be appealed.

“Eighty years is a long time,” Deputy Prosecutor Jeremy Mull said after the hearing. “This will ensure he spends virtually the rest of his life in prison.”

With Indiana’s good-time credit rule, Lawson could serve less than 40 years. He also received credit for nearly a year and a half that he has already spent in prison.

Mull said he was “disappointed” that the family chose to hold the press conference. He said the family was contacted after the plea agreement had already been filed because both sides only had a “small window of opportunity” to file it.

Lawson did not plead guilty until the first day of his trial after the jury had already been seated. Lawson originally faced two counts of murder.

After the sentence was read, Lawson told the judge he intends to appeal the sentence. Renn said they may file a motion to correct error in Superior Court No. 1 within the next 30 days, based on his argument that Lawson’s arrests should not have been counted as an aggravating factor. They also could go directly to the Indiana Court of Appeals.


See post for dear sister April Jones here.

Lorraine Cooper

Man Shot Wife, Self

September 28, 2007

AUSTIN — An autopsy performed Thursday morning on the two bodies found in a residence in Austin early Wednesday evening showed the deaths are a result of a murder-suicide.

The Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office identified the bodies as those of Boyd Cooper, 52, and Lorraine Cooper, 50.

"They were husband and wife and lived at the 924 Pennsylvania Ave. address in Austin where their bodies were located," Sgt. Jerry Goodin of the Indiana State Police said in a news release.

"The Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office came to the conclusion that both Boyd and Lorraine Cooper died of gunshot wounds," Goodin added. "It is believed that they had been inside the home for approximately one to two weeks before they were found."

Indiana State Police detectives said they believe Boyd Cooper shot and killed Lorraine Cooper and then turned the gun on himself.

Officers from the Austin Police Department responded to to the Coopers’ home in reference to a welfare check at the residence around 5:26 p.m. Wednesday. They found the the bodies after forcing their way in to the home.

Amanda Brinker

Amanda Brinker

Brinker, 14, Died of Blows to Back of Head

Police still don’t know motive for attack

September 22, 2007

The Madison County Coroner’s Office has officially ruled the death of 14-year-old Amanda Brinker a homicide, and the lead detective in the case said the girl was struck multiple times in the back of the head with a vehicle’s jack handle.

The Madison Count Prosecutor’s Office has asked for an extra three days to file a formal murder charge against Jesse Lee Pitts, 20, of Anderson.

Pitts, who is being held in the Madison County Jail without bond, made an initial court appearance on Friday, where Madison County Magistrate Stephen Clase read the allegations police laid out in a probable cause affidavit against him.

“Do you understand how serious this is?” Clase asked Pitts, who was dressed in a black-and-white jail jumpsuit.

“Yes,” he replied.

Pitts was soft-spoken during the brief court hearing, answering Clase in single-syllable words with his hands resting on his lap. Clase gave the prosecutor’s office until Wednesday to file the formal murder count.

According to court documents and investigators, officers received a 911 call, purportedly from Pitts, saying he had found a body floating face down in the White River at Edgewater Park off 10th Street. Along the riverbank, police found Brinker’s body, which bore severe injuries to the back of the head. Detectives found her purse and Anderson High School identification card inside a trash barrel nearby. There was blood splatter on the nearby grass and leaves along the walkway next to the river.

Detectives became suspicious of the 911 call because the body had been covered and wouldn’t have easily been seen by passers-by, police said Thursday. Investigators got a search warrant for Pitts’ home in the 1600 block of Southwood Road and found a bloody shirt inside a plastic trash bag. In a car Pitts borrowed from a roommate, they found the jack handle with hair and hair follicles on it, according to court documents.

One of Pitts’ roommates, Jennifer Lawler, told investigators that Brinker, of the 2900 block of Helms Road, called Pitts before school Thursday. Pitts borrowed Lawler’s 1993 Chevrolet Cavalier and picked Brinker up at her bus stop, several AHS students told detectives.

Pitts told detectives during questioning that he and Brinker drove to Edgewater Park. The two were walking down one of the park’s paved trails smoking marijuana when Pitts hit Brinker in the back of the head with the jack handle that he carries in his car “for protection,” according to the affidavit. Pitts said he threw Amanda down from the top of a White River riverbank, and she must have then rolled partially into the river.

Detective Terry Sollars, the lead investigator in the case, said Friday that police interviewed Pitts several times Thursday over a 7-9-hour period. He said Pitts struck Brinker multiple times in the back of the head.

Sollars said that after killing Brinker, Pitts drove back to his Southwood home and told his live-in girlfriend, 20-year-old Barbara Howard, that Brinker was hurt. The couple then went back to the park for a short period of time and returned home, where Pitts called 911.

Pitts gave investigators several different accounts of what happened, Sollars said. At one point, Pitts claimed a stranger came up behind him and Brinker as they were walking and attacked them. Pitts fled, but he saw the stranger knock Brinker to the ground.

Ultimately, however, he admitted what happened, Sollars said, but still hasn’t been completely forthcoming.

“He cooperated to his degree, but not to ours,” the detective said.

Sollars said Howard could also face charges for not being fully cooperative with investigators, but that is still under investigation. When police questioned Pitts and Howard, it “brought more questions than answers (as) to how they actually located the body,” according to Sollars’ affidavit.

“I don’t think she understood the impact until she saw the body by the river herself,” Sollars said Friday.

He said Pitts still has not told investigators why he killed Brinker.

“Robbery certainly wouldn’t have been a motive, because she only would have had a few dollars for lunch or something,” he said.

Sollars said Pitts and Brinker met through mutual friends and had known each other “a few months.” He said the exact nature of the relationship wasn’t immediately known, but it was apparently strong enough that Brinker could call Pitts up early in the morning, and he would get out of bed to meet her.

“I don’t know what that means,” Sollars said.

Attempts to reach Brinker’s family were unsuccessful on Friday.

A man who identified himself as “James” during a phone call to Pitts’ residence said Howard didn’t want to talk and told a Herald Bulletin reporter to “lose this (phone) number.”

Marva Diana Rhea Strasser

Man gets 20 years in slaying

Boyfriend pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter for strangling former Logansport woman

September 12, 2007

MUNCIE — Justin D. Suits got the maximum 20 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter Monday for killing the mother of their child with his bare hands just before Christmas.

“This was not premeditated murder,” said Prosecutor Mark McKinney, saying that the facts in the killing of Marva Diana Rhea, Suits’ girlfriend, did not support a murder charge.

McKinney said he was still bothered by the killing, which was pleaded down by prosecutors and defense attorneys from murder, a class A felony, to voluntary manslaughter, a class B felony. The couple’s son, Jackson, was in the next room of the Selma couple’s home when Rhea was killed.

Delaware County Circuit Court 3 Judge Robert Barnet Jr. sentenced the 28-year-old Suits on the lesser charge, giving him the maximum prison time of 20 years.

“Why did it happen?” Barnet asked Suits, who was handcuffed and wearing an orange jail uniform.

Suits responded, “When Marva would lose control, it was a lot more extreme. Our son was put in danger and I reacted wrongly.”

Defense attorney Jack Quirk had portrayed a stormy relationship between the couple, explaining how Suits had attempted suicide after killing Rhea, and how the defendant suffered from depression and post-traumatic stress.

McKinney countered that Suits did not seem to remember that he told his brother and a welfare case worker that Rhea was leaving him with their son.

Given that the plea agreement made a trial unnecessary, “We are never going to get the entire truth,” McKinney said.

There was plenty of emotion from family members who testified in behalf of Rhea and Suits.

Don and Sharon Strasser, who adopted Rhea, wanted Barnet to reject the plea agreement and make Suits stand trial for killing their daughter.

Rhea had been in a children’s home in Logansport, and went from foster home to foster home until the Strassers came into her life.

“She was always stand-offish and did not trust anybody,” Don Strasser said.

His wife said Rhea opened up only when they expressed their unconditional love for her.

Rhea moved to Muncie, attended Ball State University and was a licensed beautician before meeting Suits at a local bar. The couple had split up until Suits learned Rhea was pregnant, and rekindled their relationship.

Sharon Strasser said she hoped that Suits would provide the family life that Rhea never had. They had been planning for Christmas when they were devastated by the news that Rhea had been killed and Suits was the suspect.

“We spent our Christmas planning a funeral,” Strasser said.

Suits’ mother, Sally Suits, said there were many versions of what happened and that she encouraged the couple to seek counseling for their psychological problems.

“It was not about broken records,” said Suits’ mother. “It was about temporarily broken souls.”

Suits’ parents, both teachers at Liberty-Perry schools, along with his brother, Vincent, hugged the defendant and kissed him as he was returned to jail, awaiting prison.

McKinney said the case was the most difficult he had faced, adding it was not easy to accept the plea agreement. Quirk said the evidence pointed to voluntary manslaughter.

“There was a lot of emotion,” he said.

Obituary:

Strasser, Marva Diana Rhea

Services for Marva Diana Rhea Strasser, 26, Selma, will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday in Gundrum Funeral Home
.
She died at 9:05 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 23, 2006, in her residence.

Born April 19, 1980, in Whittier, Calif., she was the daughter of Don and Sharon Smith Strasser.

Marva attended Knox High School and was a 1998 graduate of Logansport High School. While in high school, she enjoyed being on the swim team and being a cheerleader.

Marva was a self-employed beautician.

She was an avid reader and attended the Farmland Friends Church of Selma.

She enjoyed spending time with her family and friends, especially her son, Jackson.

Surviving are one son, Jackson David Suits, Selma; parents, Don and Sharon Strasser, Logansport; and grandmother, Margaret Flowers, Logansport.

The Revs. Jim Abbott and Chris Sorensen will officiate at the services. Burial will be in Davis Cemetery, Burnettsville.

Friends may call from 3 to 8 p.m. Wednesday in the funeral home.

Erin Stanley

Erin Stanley

911 Tape Of First Of 2 Sister Deaths Released

Mother Told Dispatcher Teen Had Not Been Ill

September 17, 2007

RICHMOND, Ind. -- The first of two teenage sisters who died within days of each other was found by her boyfriend and was unresponsive and laboring to breathe, the women's mother told a 911 dispatcher.

Erin Stanley, 19, died after being found unresponsive in her parents' home Sept. 1, and her 18-year-old sister, Kelly, was found dead in the same Centerville home six days later.

Little information has been released on the deaths, though the death of Erin Stanley has been ruled a homicide by Wayne County officials.

Lonny Stanley called 911 at 5:15 a.m. Sept. 1, seeking help for her daughter Erin Stanley, according to a recording of the conversation that lasted about eight minutes.

"My daughter, she's unresponsive, her eyes are halfway open, she's blue," the mother told the 911 operator in flat, calm tones.

When asked whether the teen was breathing, she responded, "She's trying." She also told the dispatcher that the teen had not been ill, but that they'd had a stressful day.

Erin Stanley died that day. She was the mother of a young girl.

The 911 recording was released Monday by the Wayne County prosecutor's office, which had withheld the information for two weeks, saying the tape was part of the investigation. County attorney Ron Cross said the Sept. 7 emergency call in the death of Kelly Stanley was not recorded because of an equipment failure at the 911 dispatch center.

Kelly Stanley had helped detectives in their investigation into her sister's death. That included helping them gain access "to various computer sites," according to an affidavit for a search warrant for her parents' home issued Sept. 7.

Police found Kelly Stanley's body Sept. 7 after being called to her parents' home in Centerville, a town of some 2,500 people about 60 miles east of Indianapolis. A cell phone was found ringing and beeping lying near her hand, the document said.

The document said that both deaths appeared to have been caused by "similar action on the part of another party." Neither young woman had any apparent medical conditions that would have caused a sudden death, the document said.

A coroner has ruled the older woman's death a homicide, but authorities have revealed nothing about how she was slain or who might have killed her. An autopsy on Kelly Stanley was inconclusive, with authorities awaiting toxicology test results.

The Wayne County prosecutor's office released the affidavit Friday following a dispute with the Palladium-Item of Richmond over whether certain records related to the deaths should be made public or were confidential investigative records.

Police searched the home and the family car looking for DNA and other trace evidence, the document said. The search warrant also included a computer used by Erin and Kelly Stanley in the home, the hard drive and other memory devices that the document said may "contain significant evidence as to the perpetrator of these offenses."

Shipman said his office is staying tight-lipped about their investigation for fear of tipping off anyone involved in the case about evidence they have collected.

Rodney Anderson

Rodney Anderson

165 Years For Man Who Murdered Mother, 2 Children

Foster Brothers Found Dead On Couch, Porch

POSTED: 5:04 pm EDT April 8, 2009

INDIANAPOLIS -- An Indianapolis man who fatally stabbed his mother and two foster brothers was sentenced Wednesday to 165 years in prison.

Sean Wright, 36, killed his mother, Flossie Wright, 60, and her two foster children, Demonte Norton, 10, and Rodney Anderson, 16, in September 2007.

Flossie Wright was found slain in her bed. Norton was found on the couch where he slept and Anderson was found on the porch of a nearby home.

Wright was found guilty of three counts of murder in March.

"This gruesome crime not only destroyed a family, but impacted a community," said Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi in a release Wednesday. "The sentence was well deserved."

Obituary:

Rodney Anderson Demonte Norton Flossie Williams Wright Rodney Anderson, 16, Indianapolis, died September 16, 2007. He was a student at Lawrence North High School. He is survived by brothers, Kevin Anderson and DePaul Anderson, and sister, Kiara Anderson. Burial: New Crown Cemetery. Demonte Norton, 10, Indianapolis, died September 16, 2007. He was a student at IPS #92. Survivors include brother, Kenyon Williams; sisters, Ayisha Norton, Lois Norton, and Kenya Williams. Burial: Crown Hill Cemetery. Flossie Williams Wright, 60, Indianapolis, died September 16, 2007. She was a Certified Nurse Assistant at Methodist Hospital and a member of Murchinson Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. Survivors include daughter, Vonda Wright; sons, Alonzo Joseph Wright III (Latasha), Sean Vadeil Wright; stepson, Christopher Wright; brothers, Willie James Williams, James Williams, Jr., Steven Allen Williams, Sr. (Valeria); sisters, Genette Henard, Sarah Ann Williams, Mattie C. Williams, Hattie Moore-Bradley, Ida Mae Stanley (Vincent); seven grandchildren; and a host of other relatives and friends. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, September 22 at St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church, with calling there from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, September 21. Additional calling Saturday, September 22 from 10 to 11 a.m. at the church. Burial: New Crown Cemetery. Final arrangements entrusted to Lavenia, Smith & Summers Home for Funerals.


See posts for dear foster mother Flossie Wright here and foster brother Demonte Norton here.