Denise Hudson Caraway

Bedford Woman Murdered by Husband

October 9, 2009

A woman who died from a gunshot wound Wednesday evening was shot multiple times in the head, chest and lower abdomen, according to Lawrence County Coroner John Sherrill.

The gunshot wounds were from the .22-caliber revolver recovered at the scene.

Bedford police received a call at 7:23 p.m. Wednesday for an ambulance on Washington Ave. where Denise Caraway, 48, had been shot according to police. After arriving at the scene, officers discovered she was dead from a gunshot wound.

Her husband Larry Michael Caraway, 47, was arrested Wednesday evening on a preliminary charge of voluntary manslaughter in the shooting. Caraway remains in the Lawrence County Security Center on a $200,000 cash. At this point, he has not appeared in court.

Denise (Hudson) Caraway was a teacher at Head Start and her husband is a Times-Mail newspaper carrier and mows lawns. The couple has two adult sons, one of whom lives at the residence, according to police. Only the couple was home when the shooting happened.

Parsley said police officers had been to the home before to investigate domestic disputes between the couple, the most recent being in June.

UPDATE:

(BEDFORD, IN) - A Bedford man will serve the maximum 65 years in prison for murdering his wife in October of 2009.  48-year-old Larry Caraway plead guilty in February to shooting his wife, 48-year-old Denise Caraway, seven times.

Initially, Caraway told police he and his wife were arguing about bills when she retrieved a gun and shot herself.  He later admitted he had fabricated that story.

Claudia Tierrablanca Sanchez

Man arrested in woman's stabbing death

October 1, 2009

Indianapolis police arrested a man at a home where a woman was stabbed Wednesday morning in what they say was an apparent domestic homicide.

Claudia Tierrablanca Sanchez, 21, was found with stab wounds about 5:30 a.m. in the living room of her home in the 400 block of North Arsenal Avenue on the Near Eastside. She was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Officers arrested Juan Alejandro Silva Capulin, 27, thought to be the woman’s boyfriend or husband, on a preliminary murder charge.

The couple’s 21-month-old son was home, but police didn’t think he witnessed the killing. He was placed in the care of a relative.

Police said the couple came to the U.S. from Mexico about four years ago and had undocumented immigration status.

Mardale Totten

Stabbing was self-defense; man ID'd

Police believe the stabbing was the result of a domestic dispute

September 28, 2009

Fort Wayne Police said the fatal stabbing of a city man at 4 a.m. Saturday by a woman he knew was inflicted in self-defense, although ruled the city's 16th homicide.

The woman, who had been taken into custody after police said she stabbed 30-year-old Mardale Totten in the neck at an apartment at 708 Oaklawn Court, in Chapel Oaks complex, was interviewed, then released without being charged, according to Office Roy Sutphin of the Fort Wayne Police Department.

“We don't release people when we know they killed somebody,” said Sutphin. “And we just don't release people who could be a danger to the public.”

After interviewing several witnesses and the woman, Sutphin said police believe the stabbing was the result of a domestic dispute between Totten, who has a prison record for violence, and the woman. What the domestic dispute exactly entailed, Sutphin would not comment.

“The investigation is ongoing, but for the moment, until proven otherwise, we're going on the aspect that it was along the lines of self-defense,” Sutphin said.

Totten's death was ruled the city's 16th homicide of 2009 by the Allen County Coroner's Office.

On Saturday, police responding to the Oaklawn Court address found Totten unconscious and bleeding. He was treated at the scene before being rushed to a local hospital, where he later died.

Sutphin said that because the woman has not been charged with any crime, police are not required to release her name.

When Totten was 18, he was convicted of stabbing his uncle, Marquas K. Smith, to death in 1997. He served 10 years of a 15-year sentence for aggravated battery before being released in 2008, according to the Indiana Department of Corrections.

Christine Lindsey

Victims' names released in LaPorte County double homicide

September 19, 2009

Two people are dead after a shooting in LaPorte County and police have arrested a possible suspect involved in the shooting.

42-year-old Clayton Scott Lindsey of rural New Carlisle was taken into custody without incident Saturday night after being contacted by police through his cell phone. He's facing two preliminary charges of murder. The prosecuting attorney's office says it will file formal charges sometime this week.

The Laporte County Sheriff's office says the homicide victims are 39-year-old Christine Lindsey of Kingsford Heights, Indiana and 38-year-old Chad Zolman of Defiance, Ohio. Police have not confirmed Zolman's relationship with Christine at this time other than saying they are believed to be acquaintances.

Christine and Clayton Lindsey were married but separated.

Family members say Lindsey killed his estranged wife, who they call Tina Heinis, and her male friend. Family members also say Heinis was in the process of getting divorced from Lindsey – and that Heinis tried previously to get a restraining order against Lindsey but a judge denied her attempt. Family members say Lindsey had a history of harassing and threatening Heinis and her family.

The couple has two kids; but family members say they were not at the home of Heinis at the time of the shooting.

Neighbor Robert Sampson recently moved to the Kingsford Heights neighborhood in LaPorte County from South Bend. He and his wife brought their five kids to get away from crime.

"We wanted something safe, for the kids to grow up and play," said Sampson. After Saturday’s double homicide, though, he and his wife are having second thoughts.

"My wife's real paranoid, like she wants to move like immediately," he said. “It's mind blowing, it's just something we would never expect to happen around here.”

Police responded to the 3800 block of Nordway road in Kingsford Heights Saturday at approximately 3:36 p.m. to investigate a report of shots fired in a home. Shortly thereafter, deputies found the two victims inside fatally shot.

Autopsies were performed Monday morning.

Lindsey is currently being held in the LaPorte County Jail with no bond on preliminary charges of Murder, class "A" felonies. Formal charges are expected to be filed this week.

Update:

LaPORTE | A Mill Creek-area man agreed to a 75-year prison sentence for the shotgun slayings of his estranged wife and her male companion.

Clayton Lindsey, 44, pleaded guilty Friday in LaPorte Circuit Court to two counts of murder.

He was scheduled to stand trial starting May 23 but in exchange for the plea he will not face a potential maximum 65-year sentence on each count.

The plea also calls for 25 years probation upon his release from incarceration.

Lindsey admitted to the September 2009 killings of Christine Lindsey, 39, and Chad Zolman, 38.

The Ohio man and Christine Lindsey were in her Kingsford Heights residence when Clayton Lindsey crashed into his estranged wife's parked vehicle and stormed inside killing both victims with shotgun blasts, according to LaPorte County Sheriff's Department.

Judge Tom Alevizos took the guilty plea under advisement and scheduled sentencing for July 18.


See post for dear friend Chad Zolman here.

Chad Michael Zolman

Chad Michael Zolman

Lindsey sentenced to 75 years for murder

July 19, 2011

LA PORTE — Katherine Heinis tried remaining strong but toward the end couldn't fight back tears when calling her former son-in-law a coward and how his brutal slaying of her daughter caused her in many ways also to die.

Clayton Lindsey was given a 75-year prison sentence Monday for two counts of murder and Class B felony battery.  He must also serve 10 years probation upon his release.

At 44, Judge Tom Alevizos told Lindsey he'll like spend the rest of his life behind bars.  With good time credit, the earliest Lindsey can expect to be released is at age 81.

Prior to sentencing, Lindsey apologized for fatally shooting his estranged wife, Christine Lindsey and Chad Zolman in September of 2009.

The Mill Creek area man drove into his estranged wife's vehicle, broke into her home and then gunned down Mrs. Lindsey and Zolman with a shotgun inside a Kingsford Heights residence that she moved into after she had filed for divorce.

Lindsey over tears told his former mother-in-law ‘'I loved her'' when she asked why he killed them.

Heinis told Lindsey pursuing boyfriends wasn't why she left him as he had claimed.  It was his physical abuse.

‘'I know what was going on inside that home,'' Heinis said.  She said Christine on several prior occasions left but eventually returned under the belief that Lindsey would come after her and even their children if she left him for good.

‘'She knew she would never escape him,'' Heinis said.

Heinis also told Lindsey in the courtroom ‘'you treated her like a possession. She was a person. You thought of no one but yourself,'' said Heinis.

‘'Just remember your children and what you did to them,'' said Heinis.

Zolman, 38, from Ohio was highly regarded by those who knew him including children he coached in football and other sports.

His 4-year old niece regularly places peanut butter cookies on his grave, said his mother, Deborah Zolman.  ‘'He's missed by many more than I could have imagined,'' she said.

Defense attorney David Jones told the court the plea agreement was reached after several months of negotiating with prosecutors.  He felt one factor working in his client's favor was admitting guilt and sparing the families of the victims from having to endure a trial.  ‘'That's the best he can do. He can't take back what happened,'' Jones said.

La Porte County Deputy Prosecutor Chris Fronk said no amount of time can ever equal the pain suffered by the victims but felt terms of the plea achieved a high level of justice in the case.

Obituary:

Chad Michael Zolman, 38, Defiance, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, September 19, 2009, at 3:37 p.m. in LaPorte, Indiana.

He was born in Napoleon, Ohio, on September 3, 1971, the son of Joseph and Deborah (Bowers) Zolman. He married Lisa Marie White on May 9, 1993, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Chad is survived by his wife, Lisa; son, Chad Duane; and daughter, Kayleigh Marie, both at home. Also surviving are his parents; three brothers, Scott, Las Vegas, Nevada, Ryan, Defiance, and Shawn (Nicole), of Defiance; nephew Troy Zolman, Idaho; nieces, Scylea and Amelia Zolman and Melody Sapp of Defiance and Dru Zolman, Idaho; godparents, Don and Phyllis Hohenbrink; and friends too numerous to list.

He was preceded in death by his grandfather, Paul Zolman; grandmother, Amelia (Zolman) Kreimbrink; stepgrandfather, August Kreimbrink; grandparents, Benjamin and Alice (Wentworth) Bowers.

A 1991 graduate of Liberty Center High School and Four County Vocational School, Chad enlisted in the U.S. Navy and proudly served in the Gulf War. He was a one-time member of the Defiance VFW Post 3360 and the Defiance Eagles Aerie 372. He assisted as a Tinora Jr. High School wrestling coach and coached the 5-6th grade Tinora Little Girls' Softball Team. He was an avid bowler, accomplishing two 300 games, and golfed on the St. Michael's golf league. Chad was also a member of the St. Michael's Catholic Church parish.

As a loving, warm-hearted husband, father, son, brother, uncle and friend, he will be sadly and eternally missed by all. May God's angels always be at his side.

Public visitation will be held from 2-4 and 5-8 p.m. Wednesday at Mast-Mock-Hoffman-Hanenkrath-Clevenger-Schaffer Funeral Home in Defiance. Reciting of the rosary will begin at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Funeral Mass will be held by Father Dave Tscherne at St. Michael's Catholic Church, 5480 Moser Road, Defiance, at 11 a.m. Thursday, with military rites and burial at Riverside Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the entire family requests donations be made to the two surviving children for future educational purposes.


See post for dear friend Christine Lindsey here.

Jamison Essick

Teenager Facing Felony Charges To Undergo Examination

September 17, 2009

(BEDFORD) - A Bedford teenager that is accused of battery that eventually led to the death of his girlfriend’s 7 month old baby is set to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

17-year-old Casey Garrsion of Bedford is facing a class B felony of aggravated assault, the charges stem from the death of Jamison Essick on July 16th of this year.

Court documents showed that Essick died of multiple skull fractures consistent with blunt force trauma. According to a report in the Times Mail, Garrison was dating Essick's mother at the time of the incident.

Garrison is set to undergo the psychiatric evaluation to determine if he will be tried as an adult, and the evaluation is set to take place sometime this afternoon.

Garrison is currently being held in the Jackson County juvenile facility, but if the case is move to adult court he will be transferred to the Lawrence County Jail.

Obituary:

Jamison A. R. Essick

Dec. 11, 2008 — July 16, 2009

Jamison Allen Ray Essick, seven-month-old son of Kaitlin “Erin” Essick and Steven Allen Tolbert, died July 16 at Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis.

Survivors include his mother, Kaitlin Essick and her fiance, Casey Garrison, both of Bedford; his father, Steven Tolbert, Greencastle; two grandmothers; his great-grandmother; two aunts; two uncles; several cousins and other relatives; and his caregivers, Jane Mitchell and Jean Mullis.

Memorial services will be at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Friendly Bible Church, 730 Pearless Road, Bedford, with Tim Jenkins officiating.

UPDATE:

Teen gets 8 years for killing baby

June 4, 2010

BEDFORD — Still grieving, still imagining she hears his cries, Jane Mitchell confronted Casey Garrison in Lawrence Superior Court II and told him of the pain and devastation .

Jason Lee Joy

Woman Arrested For Man's Murder

September 3, 2009

(BEDFORD, IN) - A woman has been arrested by Bedford Police for a murder taking place in an apartment complex in Bedford.

According to a press release from the Bedford Police Department, police were called to the 3300 block of Michael Avenue at the Ridgewood Apartment Complex to discover a man laying in a pool of blood in the street.

After questioning 38-year-old Susan Renee May at the scene, police transported and later arrested May for the death of the man.

Police say that the victim of the shooting, 35-year-old Jason Lee Joy from Lawrence County and Susan May from Hendricks County had been engaged in a prior relationship.

Both May and Joy were homeless and had been staying at a friend's apartment at the time of the shooting.

Jason Joy is suspected to have died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds from a 9mm handgun while he was working on a car.

He was found lying face down in the street when police arrived.

One nearby resident reportedly looked out her window following the sound of gunshots to see what the commotion was when, she stated she saw the victim fall to the ground.

The witness then said that after the man fell to the ground, a woman walked up to his body and fired 5 additional bullets into the man.

The scene of the crime had previously been marked off for a couple of hours during the investigation; as of 9:00PM last night the scene had be re-opened.

Kathleen Vargas

Indianapolis Man Faces Murder, Rape Charges

"She was visibly shaking. She was crying, in a lot of pain, stated that he had just sexually assaulted her. He used an object to assault her, and that's what we believe caused much of the internal damage."

August 27, 2009

Indianapolis - Police are investigating an attack on an 80-year-old woman that they believe killed her. They say a man almost half her age sexually assaulted her and may soon be facing murder charges.

It happened on the east side in the 1000 block of North Kealing Avenue on July 18th.

Police say Kathleen Vargas was attacked in her own home about a month ago by her 46-year-old boyfriend. They say the sexual assault was so brutal that she was unable to recover. Vargas died Wednesday night.

On July 18th, police arrested 46-year-old Monte Ayres for attempted murder, aggravated battery and rape. They say he violently assaulted 80-year-old Kathleen Vargas.

"The injuries she sustained during the sexual attack may in fact be the cause of her death," said Lt. Jeff Duhamell.

Ayres may now be charged with Vargas' murder.

"He's in jail now and hopefully won't see daylight again," said Lt. Duhamell.

Police say Vargas went across the street to try to escape Ayres. That's where a neighbor said he found her crying and shaking violently.

"I heard this lady yell, hollering 'mister.' She was leaned up against the railing. I asked her what was going on and she said, 'He beat me up,'" said the neighbor.

Police say Ayres tried to flee the scene but they caught up with him in a back alley.

"He resisted officers and fought them. He has a past for that - resisting and drinking. This isn't the first run in officers have had with him. In fact they've been called to that residence on a few other occasions involving him and each time he's been very violent," said Lt. Duhamell.

Neighbors say Ayres was Vargas' live-in boyfriend. He lived on and off with the 80-year-old woman for a few years.

"From my understanding I believe she hired him to cut her grass one day and that's kind of how they met," said neighbor Darrell Powers.

"She had at times spoken to me about some problems. She felt she made a big mistake by letting him move in. I said, 'Well, if you're having problems you should have him removed,'" said Powers.

Police say they removed Ayres several times from her home at her request. But neighbors say she always took him back in.

"By some of the things she said I think she felt that maybe he would improve and she didn't want to throw him out on the street. He didn't have a place to go. So I think the nice part of her is what kept him around," Powers said.

Murder charges are pending the results of her autopsy. Ayres is still behind bars on a $200,000 bond.

David Lawton

Lakeville man charged for murder in suspected love triangle

August 20, 2009

28-year-old Arden Balmer is formally charged for murder and criminal confinement. Court documents reveal Balmer asked his ex-girlfriend and a friend to meet at his house where the shooting and stand-off happened.

The investigation continues into a homicide in rural St. Joseph County.

28-year-old Arden Balmer Jr. of Lakeville is now being charged with murder and criminal confinement. Balmer is accused of shooting his friend and holding his ex-girlfriend at gunpoint.

According to court documents, Balmer confronted his ex-girlfriend and the man Balmer thought was her new boyfriend at his parent's house in Lakeville.

Police were called out just before noon by Alexandra Stahly, Balmer's ex-girlfriend.

Stahly told police Balmer called her asking her to come over. When she arrived she saw David Lawton there as well.

Balmer allegedly took Stahly and David Lawton out to the back yard.

Court documents say Balmer accused Lawton of "taking her away from me." He then pulled out a handgun and shot Lawton multiple times. Stahly said Balmer believed Lawton and Stahly were seeing each other, but they were not.

Neighbors in the area heard the shots.

“It didn't dawn on me until last night on the news that that is what I heard. It was probably the pingin'. It was probably the gunshots because it was like a rapid fire noise,” says neighbor Douglas Sweeney.

Balmer fled the area but came back to his house to hide where a 3 hour stand-off started.

It ended when he was shot in the shoulder by police. Police say a number of weapons were taken from the home including a handgun that had been fired at least 6 times.

The parents were not home when the shooting happened.

Aaron Pierce Blum

Police label truck shooting a murder

August 6, 2009

Porter County police are calling the shooting that injured 67-year-old James Blum and killed his 32-year-old son, Aaron Blum, a murder.

Police, in court documents seeking a search warrant for the pickup truck in which the two men were found, labeled the incident a murder and said the gunshot that killed the son and injured the father came from within the truck. Police repeatedly have said the Blums were the only two people involved in the shooting.  James Blum, however, has not been charged with murder and has not been named a suspect.

Police said the Blums were together in the father's pickup truck after leaving their Morgan Township home at 2 p.m. Sunday. The father and son were discovered in the truck by a passer-by at 10:15 a.m. Monday on County Road 575 East, north of U.S. 30, in Washington Township.

According to court documents, police and Porter County Coroner Vicki Deppe said it appeared Aaron Blum had been dead for a number of hours. James Blum -- who police say shot himself in the chest -- was taken to Porter Valparaiso Hospital Campus for treatment. He is expected to survive.

Police said they spoke briefly to Blum at the hospital, who said he and his son were arguing when Aaron Blum threw coffee on his father. Blum told police he admitted firing the weapon he kept in the door of his truck, but he was taken away for treatment before officers could further question him, police said.

Police said the gun was found in the truck.  Portage attorney John Vouga, who is representing the Blum family, questioned the decision by police to interview James Blum while he was under the influence of medication and being treated for a serious gunshot wound at the hospital.

"I'm concerned as the family attorney that any law enforcement personnel would question a seriously injured man, who is going in for surgery," he said.

Vouga said it is not clear whether police made Blum aware of his rights before questioning him.

The Blum family said James Blum is an outstanding and highly respected member of the community, Vouga said.  The family plans to cooperate with police, through their attorney, once the funeral is over for Aaron Blum.

Vouga said the family still was investigating what happened and could not yet offer an explanation for the shooting.  Police had been looking for the Blums when the passer-by spotted James Blum slumped over the wheel of his truck.

James Blum's wife told police she saw the truck leaving at 2 p.m. Sunday, and when her husband and son failed to return, she reported them missing at 11 p.m. Sunday.


UPDATE:

June 22, 2010

VALPARAISO, Ind. (AP) - A northwestern Indiana man has pleaded guilty to charges that he fatally shot his 32-year-old son while they argued inside a pickup truck.

Sixty-nine-year-old James Blum of rural Valparaiso had faced murder charges in the August 2009 death of Aaron Blum. He occasionally cried during a Porter County court hearing Tuesday as he pleaded guilty to a reckless homicide charge.

The Post-Tribune reports Aaron Blum had recently been arrested for drunken driving and that James Blum told police an argument broke out as they discussed the younger man's future. Blum told police his son lunged for the handgun in the driver's door and it went off during a scuffle.  The Times reports a deputy prosecutor says Blum then drove to a hospital but left without seeking help for his son.

Obituary

Aaron Pierce Blum, 32, of Valparaiso, passed away Monday, August 3, 2009. He was born November 2, 1976 in Valparaiso to A. James and Bette (Pierce) Blum. Aaron is survived by his parents of Valparaiso, his brother Matthew A. Blum, sister-in-law, Trisha Pozil-Blum of Valparaiso, IN, and also his nephews Tresten and Damian Pozil. Aaron's passion included his love for painting and the theatre. He will be remembered by his family and friends for his laughter and sense of humor that he infused into our lives. Aaron was a member of the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Valparaiso. Private family services will be held. The final resting place of Aaron will be in St. John's Cemetery in Wanatah. Memorial contributions can be made to the Immanuel Lutheran Church Food Pantry at 1700 Monticello Dr. in Valparaiso, IN 46383. Bartholomew Funeral Home will be in charge of arrangements.

Shannon Michael Lowe

Shannon Michael Lowe

Victims in Grant Co. murders were not having affair

Aug 10, 2009

Swayzee - Police say a man who was murdered last week by a disgruntled husband was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Investigators believe the double murder-suicide in Grant County may have stemmed from a misunderstanding.

Detectives say William McKinney, 46, feared that his 40-year-old wife, Heidi, was having an affair after the couple recently separated. McKinney shot and killed his estranged wife and her friend, 30-year-old Shannon Lowe at a home in Swayzee Friday, before turning the gun on himself.

Heidi McKinney stayed with a female friend at the house on Thursday to get away from her marital problems, police say. Investigators say William McKinney had been spying on his wife, following her to the house.

Investigators say that Lowe came to the Swayzee home the next day to help his friend, Heidi. Both were having marriage troubles and were sharing coffee on a patio when they were confronted by William McKinney, who was carrying a gun.

Police say they have no reason to believe that Lowe, who worked with children in his job with a residential and family services group, was romantically involved with Heidi McKinney, who was a hair stylist at a Marion salon.

"From what we're told, he was trying to help her out through this crisis. He was having marital problems of his own and was reaching out to someone in the same position he was," said Det. Tim Holtzleiter, Grant Co. Sheriff's Department.

Investigators say an angry William McKinney had it wrong when he parked his car nearby, walked up the block and confronted the two, shooting them in a jealous rage before killing himself.



See post for dear friend Heidi McKinney here.

Heidi M. McKinney

Heidi McKinney

Three dead in apparent murder-suicide at Grant County home

Aug 07, 2009 5:28 PM EDT 

Grant County - Police say three people died in an apparent double murder-suicide at a central Indiana home.

Police officers were called to the home in the Grant County town of Swayzee about 7:00 am Friday. Investigators say a man shot his wife and another man at the home before shooting himself.

The Grant County Coroner's Office identified the victims as Heidi M. McKinney, 40, and her husband William T. McKinney, 46. They were found dead at the scene. Shannon Michael Lowe, 30, was still breathing when officers arrived at the scene, but he later died.

Police believe William McKinney shot his wife and Lowe, then shot himself. However, detectives are still searching for fingerprints and other evidence to confirm that theory.

A statement from the Grant County Sheriff's Department says the homeowner who heard the shots witnessed McKinney shoot himself.

Lewis Joyner was walking nearby when he heard shots. "I heard it go bang, then it's like a bang, bang, bang. And I told my wife that sounded to me like gunshots."

None of the deceased lived at the home, police said. Police say the McKinneys lived in Marion but that Heidi McKinney had spent the night at the home in Swayzee. It's unclear where the male victim lived, and his relationship to Heidi McKinney.

According to reports, the McKinneys were separated.

Neighbors in the small town near Marion were startled by the early morning murders.

"My dog was alerted first and he was doing a lot of barking and letting us know that something was going on outside and when we came downstairs, there were probably about eight or nine squad cars," said April Hamilton, neighbor.

"Nothing like...anything like this happens, ever. It was very shocking to hear," said Chelsie Cahue.


See post for dear friend Shannon Michael Lowe here.

Jeremiah Williams

Jeremiah Williams

Child Shot at East Side Apartment Dies

July 24, 2009

Indianapolis - City leaders are expressing shock and outrage over the shooting death of an eight-year-old boy. A teenager was also wounded in the shooting incident at the Hearts Landing Apartments Wednesday night, and an Indianapolis man is facing charges.

Metro homicide detectives believe the suspect came to a home in the 4300 block of Wittfield to settle differences with the teenager that was shot, but ended up fatally hitting the eight-year-old.

Deputy Chief Bill Benjamin immediately organized officers from the violent crimes unit to find the shooter. After a brief search, they arrested 27-year-old Joshua Germany. The arrest took place in the 10700 block of East 42nd Street around 11:00 pm, a few hours after the shootings and about a mile and a half away from the crime scene.

Police say Germany fired shots into a home on Wittfield Street. Bullets struck both Namar Taylor, 18, and Jeremiah Williams, 8, in the head. Taylor is in stable condition, but Jeremiah died from his injuries early Thursday morning. Several other children were also in the home at the time of the shooting, along with the boy's mother, but no one else was injured.

The shooting outraged community leaders, who were relieved police were able to track down Joshua Germany but vowed to stop the violence.

"We are livid. We are outraged. When you beat up and shoot at our babies and deal with our seniors we are going to do something about it. We are upset to the tenth degree. We will do something about it. Write it down. We will do something about this," said Lionel Rush, community leader.

Jeremiah Williams' front porch is full of teddy bears, flowers and prayers. Young Men Incorporated summer camp boys are among those who left flowers.

"There is no reason that a kid should lose his life about somebody making bad choices," said Byron Alston, community leader.

Metro police arrested Joshua Germany on preliminary charges of murder and attempted murder. Officers took him to Wishard Hospital Wednesday night to be treated for bites from a police K-9.

Police say Germany was wanted on a domestic violence warrant issued earlier in the day involving the 8-year-old's mother. According to police, Germany is believed to have a child with the mother, but the child is not the shooting victim.

On top of the arrest of the man who police believe responsible for this shooting, even officers say it will take more than arrests to stop the violence.

"We make arrests all day long but that is not the only answer. We need more than that," said Commander Becky Lake, IMPD.

"This is about your life. This is life and death for you and your children and if you can, make that call to get out," said Julie Marsh, Domestic Violence Network.

During Eyewitness News' investigation into the suspect Joshua Germany, we learned this is not the first he's been in trouble for shooting a gun at this address. Police believe in 2007 he fired several shots into the air. No one got hurt then, but this time the gunfire claimed the life of a young child.

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