Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lopez

Mother Arrested In Murders Of 4 Children

Four Children Found Asphyxiated

ELKHART, Ind. (CBS) ―

Police have arrested an Indiana mother in connection with the deaths of her four children, ages 2 to 8.

The four children were found Tuesday night in their home by the father of the two youngest. The medical examiner said they were asphyxiated.

Rescue workers originally thought the children's mother, Angelica Alvarez, was also dead at the scene, but later discovered she had a faint pulse.

Alvarez was in critical condition yesterday at Elkhart General Hospital but a hospital spokeswoman said today she could not give out any information about her condition.

Police say Alvarez is still in the hospital but is in their custody. Police released no other details about the case.

The children were identified as 8-year-old Jennifer Lopez, 6-year-old Gonzalo Lopez, 4-year-old Daniel Valdez and 2-year-old Jessica Valdez.

Authorities say the children were found by Alvarez's husband, Fernando Valdez, who is the father of the two younger children. Valdez ran out into the street and yelled for someone to call police.

Police say they have been called to the family's residence before.

"Some of these histories show custody disputes between Angelica Alvarez, the adult female, and Gonzalo Lopez , the father of her two older children," said Steven Mock of the Elkhart Police Department.


See posts for dear brothers Daniel and Gonzalo, and dear sister Jessica.

Gonzalo Lopez

Gonzalo Lopez

Elkhart police arrest mother in children's murders

(November 2006 - WTHR)

Elkhart - Elkhart police have arrested a mother in connection with the deaths of her four young children. The children, ages 2 to 8, were found suffocated in their basement Tuesday.

Police say the children's mother, Angelica Alvarez, remained hospitalized Thursday, two days after she was found unconscious with the children in the basement of their home.

Police Captain Steven Mock didn't give any details on how investigators believe she killed the two girls and two boys. Autopsies determine they died of asphyxia.

Mock says the 27-year-old Alvarez was in custody at Elkhart General Hospital. He would not give details on her injuries, but says she is expected to survive.

Bill Wargo, chief investigator for the Elkhart County prosecutor's office, says a magistrate is expected to review the case on tomorrow to determine whether investigators had probable cause to keep Alvarez in custody.

He says the prosecutor's office would then have until Wednesday to decide on formal charges.

Copyright © 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This story may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.


See posts for dear brother Daniel, and dear sisters Jennifer and Jessica.

Daniel Valdez

Daniel Valdaz

Mom Who Killed Her Four Children Ruled Incompetent to Stand Trial

Published May 17, 2007

In Goshen, Indiana on November 13, 2006, Angelica Alvarez was found at her house with a faint pulse next to the bodies of her four children. Alvarez's children, 8-year-old Jennifer Lopez, 6-year-old Gonzalo Lopez Jr., 4-year-old Daniel Valdez and 2-year-old Jessica Valdez, were all strangled to death in the basement of their Elkhart home.

Today, May 16,2007, as reported by the Associated Press, Elkhart Circuit Judge, Terry Shewmaker has ordered that Alvarez be committed to the Division of Mental Health to see that if in the near future that she could stand trial. Judge Shewmaker has asked that the determination be within three months. Alvarez cannot be tried until she is ruled competent.

Judge Shewmaker also went to say, that his decision was based on the three court-appointed psychiatrists as well as his own observations of Angelica Alvarez in the courtroom. Attorney for Angelica Alvarez, Juan Garcia Jr. stated to reporters that he had been pleased with the outcome of the ruling. He also went to say, ``I wasn't sure what to expect. I thought the judge could have gone either way,''. Alvarez went on and explained that the test for competency is whether a defendant can assist in his/her defense, and whether or not he/she understands the proceedings,as reported by the Associated Press.

During the court proceedings, one psychiatrist said that Angelica Alvarez could do both, one determined that she could do neither and the other said that she understood the proceedings and what was going on but she could not assist in her defense.

"She has no emotion one way or the other," said Martha Williams, who lives directly behind Alvarez's former home. "I think she must have had a history of being ill to do something like that." as reported by WSBT.


See posts for dear brother Gonzalo, and dear sisters Jennifer and Jessica.

Jessica Valdez

Jessica Valdez

Alvarez sentenced to life without parole

September 24, 2007

An Elkhart mom who pleaded guilty to killing her four children was sentenced to life in prison without parole Monday morning in Elkhart County Circuit Court.

Angelica Alvarez, 27, was charged with four counts of murder following the death of her four children — Jennifer Lopez, 8, Gonzalo Lopez, 6, Daniel Valdez, 4, and Jessica Valdez, 2 — who were found strangled inside their Elkhart home in November. As part of a plea agreement, she pleaded guilty to the charge on Sept. 4 of this year after being found competent to stand trial.

Prior to sentencing, defense attorney Juan Garcia told Circuit Court Judge Terry Shewmaker that Alvarez has expressed remorse for her actions. “In spite of what she did, I don’t want anyone in the public to think that she is a monster,” Garcia said.

Prior to the deaths of the children, Alvarez left a note explaining what she had done and why. According to the note, Alvarez expressed that her husband was in the process of leaving her and she did not feel that she was capable to taking care of the four children alone. Previous testimony had suggested that the children had been drugged before they were killed. Prosecuting Attorney Curtis T. Hill presented toxicology reports that showed that the children were not drugged. Hill argued that Alvarez was competent enough to know precisely what she was doing at the time of the murder, despite treatment at a state mental health hospital in Logansport. “There was a clear conscious at the time. She had a plan and systematically thought it through and executed it. That equals murder,” Hill said.

Garcia told the court that Alvarez has “severe mental health issues” and noted that those suffering from physical health issues are “treated until they get better.” “Mental health issues should be treated with the same severity as physical health issues,” Garcia said. After sentencing, Gonzalo Lopez, the father of the two eldest children, spoke to the court about how the events have impacted him. He said that despite the events, he hold no ill will toward Alvarez. “I have peace and tranquility and have forgiven her,” Lopez said through a translator.

Hill said that he would have preferred the death penalty for Alvarez, but opted against seeking it as punishment. “This didn’t have to happen, but locking her up for the rest of her life does,” Hill said. Alvarez stated through a translator that she has “sincerely repented and I accept my responsibility.” Alvarez will be incarcerated at the Indiana Department of Corrections.


See posts for dear brothers Daniel and Gonzalo, and dear sister Jennifer.

Derrick Manuel

Arrest made in fatal Eastside stabbing

January 20, 2009 by Kevin ONeal | Star staff

An arrest has been made in an apparent stabbing death on the Eastside on Monday night, according to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

Scarlett Adams, 45, is being held on preliminary murder charges from the death of Derrick Manuel, 42. Adams was Manuel's girlfriend, according to a statement from Sgt. Matthew Mount, police department spokesman.

The stabbing was made known to police from a report of a person down in the 6100 block of 21st Street near Arlington Avenue. Manuel was declared dead at 11:40 p.m. Monday at Wishard Memorial Hospital.

The arrest came after homicide detectives spent the morning interviewing Adams.

Police did not immediately say what led to the stabbing.

Nupur Srivastava

Nupur Srivastava

Man accused of setting girlfriend on fire now charged with murder

Jeremy Brilliant

Eyewitness News, May 2007

Indianapolis - On the day of Nupur Srivastava's funeral, the man accused of pouring gasoline on her and then setting her on fire was charged with murder.

Michael Wilson has been in jail since the incident last month. He initially told police he was using gasoline in an attempt to light a grill. But his girlfriend told medics a different story.

"May God bless her soul wherever she is, she should be happy," Veena Srivastava said about her daughter, 33-year-old Nupur. She died Sunday after sustaining third degree burns more than a month ago.

"I can't even imagine, I don't even try to think about it. I can't even imagine what was going through her mind when this happened," said Ritu Adams, Nupur's sister.

On April 3rd, at their south side home, police say Nupur's boyfriend, 33-year-old Michael Wilson allegedly doused her with gasoline then lit her on fire.

During a 911 call made from the home, a woman can be heard in the background asking, "Why did you do that?" A male responds, "I didn't know it was going to be like that."

For the past six weeks Nupur was hospitalized in a medically-induced coma. She died on Mother's Day.

"I just think that maybe being a mother is the worst thing in the world. It's unbearable " Nupur's mother said.

Her parents met Michael Wilson in February and initially approved. But just a month later, they say, the relationship soured.

Sadanand Srivastava, Nupur's Father said, "She started telling her that mom, 'I don't think he's the right person for me.'"

So Nupur packed her bags and was preparing to move out. The day she was supposed to leave was the same day she was burned.

"I pray to God each and every moment that please, please don't do this to anybody, anybody because the pain and suffering I'm going through my family is going through, I don't think anybody can imagine. Nobody can imagine," Nupur's mother said.

Nuper's family lives in Maryland. They came to Indianapolis during her hospital stay, for her funeral Tuesday and they vow to come back when Michael Wilson goes on trial for murder. He faces up to 65 years if he's convicted.

Michael Wilson

Denise Solano

Denise Solano

Troubled history for couple in murder-suicide attempt

by Leanne Tokars

Story Created: Apr 14, 2008 at 10:46 AM EDT

MONTEREY — Police say the man who murdered his wife and then turned the gun on himself is mentally unstable. As of Monday afternoon, Tomas Solano was in critical condition at a Michigan City hospital.

Police say Solano shot and killed his wife Denise outside their home in Monterey on Sunday. That’s in Pulaski County.

He then fled about 58 miles to Michigan City. Police say they tracked his cell phone to the Greenwood Cemetery, where he shot himself in the head.

Monterey is so small, you can clearly see from one end of town to the other end.

“People come in, work, drink a little beer, take some home and work the next day,” explained Darlene Denton at the Corner Tavern.

In the quiet town, no one ever expected murder.

“They were good people, but they had problems with their family, with their relationships, with taking care of the kids,” said Joanna Perez who lives across the street and considered the couple friends.

Police were often called to their house on Center Street.

They say both Tomas and Denise had been arrested several times before, mostly for battery to each other.

In fact, they say Denise had just gotten out of jail days before the shooting.

“We tried to help them and guide them in the right way, but it just seemed like it wasn't helping,” said Perez.

But she also says Denise was trying to fix her life and get her 5 kids back from foster care this summer.

Child Protective Services wouldn’t reveal when the children were taken or why, but police confirmed the kids had been in protective custody when the shooting happened.

“She had kids she left. I mean she might not have done everything right, but she didn't need to go that way," added Perez through tears.

It’s a tragedy that's touched many in town. It’s left Denton wondering 'what if.'

“It's too bad that maybe more help wasn't available — that it had to end this way,” said Denton.

Police also arrested Timothy McCorkle of Monterey in this case. They believe he gave the rifle to Solano, knowing he planned to use it to kill his wife.

Child Protective Services says in a situation like this, they will provide counseling to the children and try to keep them together as they cope with what has happened.

Aiyana Gauvin

Aiyana Gauvin

Girl Who Died Was Bound, Gagged

Father, Stepmother Arrested On Neglect Charges

POSTED: 9:35 pm EST March 17, 2005

LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- A Lafayette woman told police she left her stepdaughter gagged and bound at the wrists in a bedroom the night before the 4-year-old girl was found dead, according to a court document filed Thursday.

The stepmother, Michelle Gauvin, 33, and Aiyana's father, Christian Gauvin, 33, were arrested Wednesday on preliminary charges of neglect of a dependent causing death.Information on the cause of death wasn't released Thursday.

According to a probable cause affidavit, the girl's body had bruises, scrapes and cuts. Michelle Gauvin allegedly told police that she put tape over the child's mouth Tuesday night, and that the girl's wrists were bound.The woman told police that she left the child bound and gagged in the girl's bedroom that night, according to the affidavit.Michelle Gauvin said that on Wednesday morning, she saw the girl lying on her stomach, still bound and gagged, according to the affidavit.Police said Michelle Gauvin told them that Aiyana and two other children, aged 12 and 9, were left at the home Wednesday morning while she took Christian Gauvin to work.

When she returned, she realized something was wrong with Aiyana and called 911, the affidavit said.According to the affidavit, Michelle Gauvin said that she occasionally hit the child with a broken cutting board.Christian Gauvin told police that he knew that his wife had on occasion hit the girl, bound her and placed a gag over her mouth, according to the affidavit.The man said he didn't seek medical treatment for the injuries Aiyana would receive because he feared he would be arrested on abuse accusations, the document said.

Christian and Michelle Gauvin

Also this:

Stepmother's appeal to life sentence denied

This stepmonster, Michelle Gauvin, disiplined her young stepdaughter Aiyana Gauvin to death in March 2005. She admitted tying Aiyana up, using duct tape over her mouth, and beating her with a broken cutting board as punishment for her misbehavior. This week, the Court of Appeals rejected the claim that Indiana’s definition of torture should not apply to parents disciplining their children, even if the disciplinary measures seem extreme.

The opinion, written by Chief Justice Randall Shepard, said, "Michelle submitted Aiyana to abuse so far in excess of its claimed purpose that her actions surely constituted torture." It also listed several actions that amounted to torture, including weeks of beatings leading up to the girl’s death, force-feeding her an “unpalatable blend of foods, causing Aiyana to vomit,” and photographing her in different states of bondage and forcing her to view the images.

Michelle’s husband, Christian Gauvin, who was the girl’s biological father, was convicted of neglect of a dependent in the case, and was sentenced to the maximum 50 years in prison.

Aiyana's mother, who did not have custody of her 4-year old daughter, tried numerous times to get the authorities to help her daughter, whom she suspected of being abused.

Renee G. Johnson

Man Killed Wife, Daughter, Then Himself

Husband Called 911 Before Committing Suicide, Authorities Say

POSTED: 4:59 pm EDT April 1, 2008

INDIANAPOLIS -- Investigators believe a man killed his wife and their 14-year-old daughter before killing himself in their southwest-side Indianapolis house Tuesday, police told 6News' Rick Hightower.Authorities said they found the bodies of Renee G. Johnson, 49; Rebecca J. Johnson, 14; and Stephen J. Johnson in the house in the 5400 block of Gambel Road after the man called 911 at about 4 p.m. and told a dispatcher that a homicide-suicide had happened there.

Police said Stephen Johnson shot both his wife and daughter in the head before turning the gun on himself.According to investigators, the gun used in the shootings was found in the second-floor bedroom, where all of the bodies were found. Police said they also found a cell phone that was used to call 911 to tell operators where the bodies could be found. Investigators said Stephen Johnson made the call before killing himself.

The house was locked when officers arrived at the scene, but keys to the door were found hanging on a mailbox next to the door, police said."A couple of people that either knew them or were from the neighborhood … did not indicate any type of a problem there," Indianapolis police Sgt. Paul Thompson said.Sources that 6News did not name said electrical power to the home had recently been shut off. Information on why the home was without electricity wasn't available.

Also see post for dear daughter Rebecca J. Johnson.

Rebecca J. Johnson

Three dead in apparent double murder-suicide

Posted: Apr 01, 2008 5:20 PM EDT

Mary Milz

Eyewitness News

Indianapolis - Police are investigating the deaths of three family members on the city's southwest side.

It happened Tuesday afternoon in the 5400 block of Gambel Road near I-465 and Kentucky Avenue. Police found three people dead inside the home there including a man, woman and their 14-year-old daughter. Police are calling it a double murder-suicide.

Police believe Stephen J. Johnson shot and killed his wife Renee G. Johnson, 49, and the couple's 14-year-old daughter Rebecca J. Johnson. Authorities found a suicide note at the scene.

"At this point, we believe it's an isolated incident," said IMPD Sgt. Paul Thompson. "It's domestic and did not involve anyone outside the household."

Sgt. Thompson said a 911 call came in at around 4:00 pm reporting a murder-suicide. Police say the caller identified himself as Stephen Johnson and that he told police where the bodies could be found in the house. Police have not yet confirmed that the caller was in fact Johnson, however.

"There's a possibility the man inside may have been the caller, we're still confirming that," Thompson said. "We're going to have to process the 911 tape."

The house was locked when the officers arrived at the scene. Keys to the door were found hanging on the mailbox next to the door.

Police found Stephen and Renee Johnson on a bed in a second-floor bedroom. Renee Johnson was under the covers of the bed, and Rebecca Johnson was on the floor of the same bedroom under some clothing. Detectives also found a cell phone belonging to Stephen Johnson, and they believe it was the same phone he used to call 911. Thompson said a gun was found near the bodies.

When nearby residents saw police arrive and set up a crime scene, they weren't sure what had happened.

"I told the kids to get in the house in case they're still looking for someone," Amanda Baker said.

As news later spread of a murder-suicide, another neighbor said, "It's just a shame."

Dwayne Brewer, who lives down the street, knew little of the family.

"They just stayed to themselves," Brewer said. "I can't tell you I ever saw anyone visiting."

Ritchie Kendall and his wife knew the family from church. When he saw several police cars and detectives in front of the house, he "thought it might be a mistake."

"You just don't think anything like this would happen. I can't see how anyone would kill a teenager," Kendall said.

Kendall's daughter was friends with the young victim, who was home-schooled. They said they knew of no problems or issues troubling the couple.

"I have no idea. No idea," said Marva Kendall. "I wouldn't expect it. He was nice, caring, he'd do anything for anybody."

Sgt. Thompson said there were no recent police calls to the home. He said detectives were talking to family members and friends in the hopes of better understanding what led to the violence.

In a press release issued Wednesday, Chief Michael Spears has asked that people be made aware of the need to seek help and guidance when in difficult situations instead of resorting to violence. "There are numerous social agencies available to assist wherein solutions can be found. The use of violence only causes pain and despair and never solves the underlying problem," the statement said.

Also see post for dear mother Renee G. Johnson.

Alejandro Chamorro, Sr.

Alejandro Chamorro, Sr.

Teen admits killing family

Posted: Mar 03, 2010 6:54 AM EST

Jeremy Brilliant

Eyewitness News

March 25 update:

The Whitestown teen facing murder charges the deaths of his father, his father's girlfriend and his own twin brother admitted during questioning that he killed his family.

In court documents, investigators also say Barney Chamorro told them he took his father's girlfriend's car after the killings last month.

Chamorro faces charges of murder, burglary, robbery, theft and auto theft.

Relatives say Chamorro recently lost his job and his father threatened to send him back to their native Nicaragua.

Original story:

Boone County - The teenager accused of killing three family members, then fleeing to Texas, is now in custody in Indiana. Police say 19-year-old Barney Chamorro murdered his father, twin brother and stepmother last week. The bodies were discovered in their Whitestown home last Friday.

Four days after Chamorro was captured in Texas, he was returned in shackles to Boone County.

His right hand was bandaged. Police say he sustained the injury during the murders. Investigators say he killed his twin brother Alejandro Junior, his 51-year-old father Alejandro and his 55-year-old stepmother Judy Schindler.

"My sister and I spoke numerous times during the week; we emailed constantly, thank God, and there was no indication whatsoever that anything was wrong," said Charlene Horne, Judy Schindler's sister.

Five days after the bodies were found inside the Whitestown home, the property remained cordoned off. Officers continued collecting evidence in their case against the teenage suspect.

Police would not comment about the direction of the investigation but they say the public should not be fearful since a suspect is in custody.

"I would not say that there are other suspects around. But there may be other personnel that have knowledge of what transpired," said Chief Dennis Anderson, Whitestown Police Department. He added: "We really have no clue as to why somebody would do what he did, or what he's alleged to have done...anything beyond that would just be speculation."

While police won't speculate about a motive, some family members say they have an idea. They say Barney and his father had recently argued. They say the 19-year-old had recently lost his job and gotten into some trouble and that his father wanted to send him back to his native Nicaragua.

"He first said he wanted to go back but then he changed his mind. And that's when this happened. You know, he spoke to my uncle and he said, 'Oh, I should go back,' and my uncle said, 'I think you should, too,'" said Jorge Chamorro, a cousin.

Members of the Chamorro family came from Miami after they learned of the murders earlier this week. They are dealing not only with the loss of two relatives but knowing that a family member is accused of killing them.

"It's very tough," said Rosario Chamorro, Alejandro Sr.'s sister and Barney Chamorro's aunt. "We never thought a son would do something like that to his own father. My brother made a great sacrifice to become a citizen and to bring his son here for a better life. He never thought that he brought his own death."

Investigators say they didn't ask Barney Chamorro questions during their trip back to Indiana and he didn't volunteer any information.

Chamorro is scheduled to make his first court appearance Thursday in Boone County. He faces three preliminary counts of murder and is being held without bond.

Also see posts for dear partner Judy Schindler and son Alejandro Chamorro Jr..

Judy Schindler

Arrest made in Whitestown homicides

Updated: Monday, 01 Mar 2010, 2:55 PM EST
Published : Friday, 26 Feb 2010, 3:46 PM EST

• Reporter: Phil Sanchez
• Reporter: Mike Corbin
• Edited by Andrew Bonner

WHITESTOWN, Ind. (WISH) - The manhunt for the prime suspect in a Central Indiana triple homicide ended in an arrest early Saturday. Authorities arrested the 19-year-old man suspected of brutally killing his twin brother, his father and his father's wife in Ward, TX. Police located the teenager after he used a credit card Friday in Mount Vernon, Texas, 50 miles east of Dallas.

Whitestown authorities were called to 101 Hull Street Friday after 46-year-old Judy Schindler's employer, TJ's Market, reported that she had not come to work.

Police found Schindler's body and those of her husband, 51-year-old Alejandro Chamorro, and her husband's son, 19-year-old Alex Chamorro Jr., inside the home.

The bodies of Alejandro Sr. and Schindler were found in their living room while Alejandro Jr. was found dead in his bedroom.

Police said Alejandro Chamorro's son, 19-year-old Barney Jose Chamorro, who also lived at the home and is believed to have been present during the killings. Barney Chamorro is also the twin brother of Alex Chamorro Jr.

“We believe he was in the residence last night. We have reason to believe that and he was last seen at a local filling station last night in one of the victim’s trucks," said Whitestown Police Chief Dennis Anderson.

Barney Chamorro had recently lost his job at a Zionsville Burger King where the brothers worked.

Schindler's co-worker at TJ's Market, Tonya Gwaltney, made the call to police.

“Judy was very outgoing, friendly. Everybody liked her. She worked here for about two years," said Gwaltney. “She simply cared. She cared about our business, she cared about my mom, who's the owner, and she’s gonna be dearly missed and very, very hard to replace.”

Chamorro Sr. worked at the Old Country Buffet restaurant in Westfield for over 12 years. His co-workers called him an exemplary employee who never missed work and was rarely late.

Restaurant manager Andrew Leonerd told 24-Hour News 8 he anxiously awaited word about Chamorro Sr., or ”Alex" as he was known.

"Our hearts sank because Alex was very well-loved here. He'd worked here overe 12 years and he was probably our most-loved server and everyone looked at him as our grand old man of the restaurant," said Leonerd.

Leonerd said that Chamorro Sr. was last seen by restaurant employees on Thursday when Alejandro Jr. picked him up from work at 4 p.m.

Leonerd says they appeared to be in good spirits when they left.

Also see posts for dear partner Alejandro Chamorro Sr. and son Alejandro Chamorro Jr..

Alejandro Chamorro, Jr.

Triple killing suspect in local jail

March 04, 2010 by Robert Annis | Star staff

Aunt: Family plan to send man back to Nicaragua might have angered him

ZIONSVILLE, Ind. — Family members believe the 19-year-old immigrant accused of killing his twin brother, his father and his father’s common-law wife might have been upset because the family wanted to send him back to Nicaragua.

Boone County police returned with Barney Jose Chamorro early Wednesday. He was arrested in Texas on Saturday, the day after officers found the bodies of Judy Schindler, Alejandro Chamorro Sr. and Alejandro Chamorro Jr. in the family’s Whitestown home.

Chamorro faces three preliminary counts of murder and is being held in Boone County Jail in Lebanon.

“We’re saddened by the events that have taken place but are glad to be able to make an apprehension as quickly as we were,” said Whitestown Police Chief Dennis Anderson at a news conference in Zionsville.

“Whitestown is a small community; things like this normally don’t happen here,” he said.

Rosario Chamorro, Alejandro Chamorro Sr.’s younger sister, said he told her Barney Chamorro had recently disappeared for four days after getting a $1,000 tax return. Rosario Chamorro thought Barney had gone on a drug binge with the cash.

Barney Chamorro recently lost his job at the Zionsville Burger King, as well as his driver’s license. Relatives said Alejandro Chamorro Sr. had decided to send him back to Nicaragua.

“We never thought a son could do something like that to his father,” Rosario Chamorro said. “His father made great sacrifices bringing him to this country.”

Charlene Horne, Judy Schindler’s sister, said Schindler never indicated her home life was troubled, though they spoke several times a week.

Police homed in on Barney Chamorro as the main suspect fairly quickly. He was missing when officers discovered the bodies, and a witness placed him at the scene within hours of the slayings. When police in Texas discovered him, he was sleeping in one of the victims’ vehicles at a Texas rest stop.

Investigators say they found physical evidence in the vehicle, which is being brought back to Indiana.

Anderson said Chamorro was quiet during the return trip to Indiana and didn’t say much to officers. Anderson declined to comment on whether police were searching for additional suspects but said they might be seeking a person of interest who knew more about the crimes.

Anderson expected to file a report with the Boone County prosecutor’s office today.

Rosario Chamorro, Miami, planned to take her brother’s and nephew’s bodies back to Nicaragua for burial.

Also see posts for dear family member Judy Schindler and father Alejandro Chamorro Sr..

Emily Johnson

Emily Johnson

Plane crash was suicide-homicide

Pilot reportedly told ex-wife she wouldn't see daughter again

March. 6, 2007

BEDFORD, Ind. - The man whose small plane slammed into his former mother-in-law’s house, killing him and his 8-year-old daughter, had told his ex-wife before the crash he had the girl “and you’re not going to get her,” the mother-in-law said Tuesday.

Eric Johnson, a student pilot who had soloed before, strapped daughter Emily into the passenger seat of a leased, single-engine Cessna on Monday morning. Less than two hours later, officials said, the plane smashed into the home of Vivian Pace, the girl’s grandmother.

Pace told reporters outside her damaged home Tuesday that Johnson called her daughter, Beth Johnson, by cell phone shortly before the crash.

He told his ex-wife: “I’ve got her, and you’re not going to get her,” she said.

Pace, who was home but wasn’t injured, said she believed the crash was deliberate.

“That was the only way he could hurt Beth. That was the only way he could get to her,” she said.

Andrew Todd Fox of the National Transportation Safety Board declined to say if Johnson, 47, said anything over the plane’s radio before the crash. The airport has no controller on duty, so no recording was available of any communication, he said.

The plane had already crashed but the occupants hadn’t been identified when Beth Johnson arrived at the Bedford Police Department to file a missing person report because her daughter hadn’t arrived at school that morning after spending the weekend with her father, police Maj. Dennis Parsley said Tuesday.

State and Bedford police were treating the case as a suicide and homicide, State Police 1st Sgt. Dave Bursten said. He said they had yet to find any notes indicating Johnson’s intentions with the flight, but the fact that the house was his ex-wife’s mother’s home raised serious questions.

“All of those things together lead us in the direction that this was done intentionally,” Bursten said Tuesday.

The couple had divorced in November after 12 years of marriage, Pace said.

Fox said Tuesday that investigators were looking at whether the plane was functioning properly and hoped to have a preliminary report within a week.

Bedford is about 20 miles south of Bloomington in southern Indiana.

At Parkview Primary School in Bedford, where Emily was a first-grader, counselors were called in to help the students, Principal Sari Wood said Tuesday.

“We’re all grieving over this,” Wood said. She described Emily as a “dear little girl” who “got a kick out of things and enjoyed life.”

“She just was one of those really friendly, really open little kids,” Wood said.

Also:

Indiana State Police Sgt. Dave Bursten says indications are Johnson deliberately flew into his former mother-in-law's house, just a short distance from the airport. The witness accounts of how the craft crashed, the relationship of the crash site to the airport, and the fact that the house it hit belongs to Johnson's former mother-in-law all point to a deliberate act.

Vivian Pace was in her living room at the time.

"She heard the crash and observed that the plane had come through the house," said State Police Detective Mark Clephane.

According to Bedford police, Emily's mother came to the police department at 11:30 Monday morning to file a missing person report. Emily spent the weekend with her father and failed to show up fo school. Authorities quickly began piecing things together.

"It is just gut-wrenching to think about what was happening for that child just prior to the crash," said Sgt. Bursten.

Authorities say Beth and Eric Johnson divorced about a year ago and during that time Beth had a restraining order issued against her estranged husband. There were no threats and no apparent reasons why he might have targeted the mother-in-law's house.

Sam and Kimberly Perry, who had been attending an event at Beth's school, say news quickly spread through town.

"It's sad that they didn't reach out for somebody, and that they took their daughter's life in the process."

Local authorities say they're not aware that Johnson had any criminal history. They say no notes were found. Johnson worked for the Department of Natural Resources. He was the property manager for the Jackson-Washington Forest in southern Indiana.

Photos taken by next-door neighbor Greg Rollins show part of the plane's fuselage inside the home. Views from Chopper 13 show that the plane sliced into the bottom of a wall on the south side of the home.

Tuesday morning, the plane remained where it crashed. State troopers have secured the site until the FAA and NTSB arrive to start their investigation. (Read the ISP press release.)

Jason McGuffey

Friends, Family Rely On Faith After Tragic Murder-Suicide

POSTED: 8:09 am EST November 4, 2005

INDIANAPOLIS -- The crime was deeply personal for one family, but now a community is coping with a tragedy that ended in death for a 4-year-old boy and his father.Police said Edward McGuffey killed his son, Jason, before turning the gun on himself Wednesday night.

It was a crime that was completely unexpected for a normally quiet Geist-area community. Now, friends and family are relying on their faith to deal with an unthinkable tragedy.Church leaders said Jason McGuffey was a beautiful child with a great spirit, RTV6's Tanya Spencer reported. He attended Sunday School at East 91st Street Christian Church every week.

Balloons, flowers and other tokens of remembrance were placed outside the home on Beam Ridge Drive Thursday night. Friends and family wanted everyone to know that the two people who died in the home will be missed.Police said McGuffey sent dozens of e-mails Wednesday night, telling recipients that he had killed his son and was about to kill himself.

Neighbors said that although they knew McGuffey and his wife had recently separated, they never expected what happened. At the church the McGuffey family attended, people were completely shocked to learn of the murder-suicide."The people who we talked to in our congregation had absolutely no idea that any of this was on his mind," said Derek Duncan, senior pastor. "We feel a real burden that we wish we could have done more. But ... if you don't know what the need is, you can't meet that need.

"The church is offering counseling for surviving family members and those who knew the victims. Duncan said their only comfort is knowing the next life is peaceful." Jason is with Him and he's not afraid. He's not suffering and he's going to be OK," Duncan said. "Anybody that knows him just really loved him."

The funeral for Edward McGuffey is Saturday at 1 p.m. at Randall and Roberts Fishers Mortuary.Services for Jason McGuffey is Saturday at 11 a.m. at East 91st Street Christian Church.

Previous Stories:

• November 3, 2005: Murder-Suicide Shocks Community
• November 3, 2005: Man Kills Son, Self After E-mailing His Intentions

Brittany March

Brittany March

Family Finds 2 Dead In Apparent Murder-Suicide

Family Says Couple Argued Before Shooting Deaths

POSTED: 6:58 am EST December 11, 2009

INDIANAPOLIS -- Indianapolis police said two people found dead in an apartment home near Greenwood Park Mall were involved in a likely murder-suicide.

Officers were called to an apartment home in the 2800 block of East County Line Road at about 10:40 p.m. Thursday.

Sgt. Matt Mount said Brittany March, 18, called family members and told them she had been arguing with her boyfriend, Corey Dix, 19, and planned to leave the apartment.

When family members hadn't heard from March for a while, one of them went to the apartment, police said.

"When there was no response to knocking, he forced the door open and found March and Dix in the bedroom, both dead from gunshot wounds," Mount said.

Police said they found a handgun under Dix's body. Investigators said it appeared that Dix shot himself after killing March.

Police did not have information about the nature of the argument that preceded the deaths.

Also:

Mother of domestic abuse victim wants teens to speak up

August 10, 2010

INDIANAPOLIS - A teenage girl's life was in danger, and her family didn't see it coming. It is a tale told all too often with a national rise in teen dating abuse. Now an Indianapolis family is reaching out to save other teens despite their pain.

Brittany March's family loved her. Family pictures tell a story of a young life full of promise.

"Brittany was very outgoing. She was never shy. She had a lot of friends," said Dawn Brumley, Brittany's mother.

She was a teenager full of spirit, spunk and sass.

"That's show and tell and she's got a snakeskin. Oh my gosh, of course, she had a snakeskin!" said Brumley.

Brittany was passionate about family. She was the only girl with two older brothers. They called her the family princess.

"We are short a lot of things, but we are not short pictures of Brittany," said Brumley.

A family video celebrates Brittany through the years.

"She was the light of my life," said Brumley.

But her light was extinguished and her years cut short at the age of 18. Dawn Brumley remembers the night before Brittany died.

"I hugged her and kissed her and told her I loved her and went to bed," she said.

The next morning, Brittany headed to the Greenwood apartment of an on and off again boyfriend, a rocky relationship that worried her Mom.

"Some of her friends did tell me that there was some verbal abuse; that it was more mental," said Brumley.

That day, Brumley received texts from Brittany from her boyfriend's cell phone.

"She said that he had broken her cell phone and took her keys and wouldn't give 'em back to her and wouldn't let her leave," said Brumley.

But shortly after that came another text.

"'We've figured out that this is not going to work and we're going to go our separate ways.' and that was the last I heard from her."

When Brittany didn't come home, Brumley sent her son to check on her. He found a devastating scene at the boyfriend's apartment.

"He kicked in the door, he looked over and the bedroom door was shut and he kicked in the bedroom door and Brittany was lying on the end of the bed. She had been shot twice in the head and the boy had then shot himself in the head," said Brumley.

The murder-suicide happened on December 10, 2009. Brittany March and her 19-year-old boyfriend Corey Dix were killed.

"I knew he had killed her. I knew she was trying to leave and go home, and he killed her," said Brumley.

That was a year and a half ago, and the shock of losing her daughter to abuse has led Dawn Brumley to speak out to warn others.

"I've said it a million times, if it could happen to Brittany, it could happen to anybody," she said.

She urges parents to talk to your teens about abuse and watch for signs that they are being controlled emotionally, verbally or physically.

"I have learned that the kids don't tell you. They don't tell you. They tell their friends," said Brumley.

She wanted to take us to a place where she feels close to Brittany again - her graveside, with a beautiful teardrop headstone.

"I miss being her Mom. I miss talking to her every day. I just miss everything about her," said Brumley.

The headstone has "her picture on it and a beach scene 'cause she loved the beach." Etched in the stone are lyrics of a song by her favorite artist, country singer Kenny Chesney. The words bring comfort to Brittany's family: "She's on the coast of somewhere beautiful running with our hearts."

Call 211 if you are in an abusive relationship and need help now.

Learn to spot the signs of abuse.

Candie Worthman

Man on parole in homicide arrested in killing

Gary suspect charged in fatal shooting of E.C. woman

by DAN HINKEL
dhinkel@nwitimes.com
219.933.4183 | Posted: Wednesday, September 3, 2008 12:00 am

A man accused of killing a woman early Sunday in East Chicago was arrested Tuesday when he reported to his parole officer from a previous homicide conviction, police said.

Gaylon C. Washington Jr., 31, of Gary, faces a murder charge based on accusations he shot Candie Worthman, 23, in the head early Sunday morning outside an apartment in East Chicago near Indiana Harbor, according to court documents.

Washington also faces charges of intimidation and pointing a loaded gun. Washington threatened to kill a witness to Worthman's shooting, said East Chicago Police Chief Angelo Machuca Jr. Washington was being held without bail at the Lake County Jail on Tuesday.

He pleaded guilty to reckless homicide in 2003 after a murder charge was dismissed, according to court records. He was sentenced to seven years in prison, according to court records.

Washington was waiting at 3 a.m. Sunday outside a dilapidated apartment building in the 3400 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, according to court records. Worthman arrived and argued with Washington, police said. Washington told Worthman to back down, and when she did not, he shot her in the head, according to court records.

"Words were exchanged, and it seems like he didn't like what was being said to him, and he shot her, shot the victim in the face," Machuca said.

Police found Worthman, of the nearby 3500 block of Guthrie Street, bleeding in the street, and investigators picked up a .32-caliber shell casing nearby, according to court records.

Worthman was pronounced dead at the scene, said a spokesman for the Lake County coroner's office.

Candie's death was noted as part of a violent holiday weekend in the Chicago area, in which 19 people lost their lives or critically injured.

See Candie's obituary here.

Marjorie Bellows

Man Stabbed Mother, Left Her To Die

73-Year-Old Woman Left Bleeding In Home

POSTED: 4:10 pm EDT March 30, 2010

BROWNSBURG, Ind. -- A Brownsburg man has been arrested, accused of stabbing his mother during an argument.

Marjorie Bellow, 73, was found yelling for help in her home at 502 Douglass Drive Monday afternoon.

Bart Bellows, 49, who lived at the home with his mother, told police that they had been fighting Sunday night, and that he stabbed his mother when he thought she was going to shoot him with a shotgun.

Marjorie Bellow was found just after 3 p.m. Monday with several stab wounds to the face and arms. She was transported to Indiana University Hospital.  Police said no shotgun was found in the home.

Bart Bellows was preliminarily charged with attempted murder, aggravated battery, battery with a deadly weapon, criminal confinement and interference.

Also:

Marjorie died April 15th of stab wounds to head and arms, inflicted by her son Bart in an attack on March 28th. He claimed he thought she was going to shoot him with a shotgun, but police found no other weapons in the house.

Tiffany Wray

Tiffany Wray

Indianapolis Man Shot the Mother of His Child, Killed Her Sister

Police: 1-Year-Old Girl Found Near Mother's Dead Body

March 22, 2009

INDIANAPOLIS -- Indianapolis police are looking for a man accused in a double shooting that left the mother of his child in critical condition and her sister dead.

Quanita Wray, 24, called 911 just after 7 a.m. Saturday to say that she had been shot multiple times, along with her sister, Tiffany Wray, 21, in a home at 5419 E. 42nd St., said Indianapolis police Lt. Jeffrey Duhamell.

Officers found Tiffany Wray dead in a bedroom, with her 1-year-old daughter lying near her. Quanita Wray was transported to Wishard Memorial Hospital in critical condition, Duhamell said. Marco Robinson is wanted in connection with the shooting. Police said he has at least one child with Quanita Wray and that the couple had a history of domestic disputes. Investigators recovered Robinson's vehicle shortly after 2 p.m. Saturday. He is described by police as black, 28 years old and 250 pounds. Duhamell said Robinson had cut his hair. He recently had a restraining order filed against him. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to call police or Crime Stoppers at 317-262-TIPS.

At first, police thought that three boys -- ages 2, 4 and 6 years old -- had been taken from the home after the shooting, but it was later determined that they had spent the night at a relative's home. They were located just after noon, Duhamell said. All of the children were taken into custody of Child Protective Services.

Quanita Wray

Suspect in shooting turns himself in

March 29, 2009 by Jason Thomas | Star staff

The man wanted connection with a March 21 shooting that left one sister dead turned himself in early Sunday.

Marco R. Robinson had been sought on warrants for murder, attempted murder, home invasion, carrying a handgun without a license and violation of a protective order, said Lt. Jeff Duhamell, a spokesman for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

Police said Robinson’s mother and sister had been in contact with him and cooperated with police, convincing Robinson to turn himself him.He turned himself in at police headquarters at 12:30 a.m., according to Duhamell.Robinson was wanted in the shooting of Tiffany Wray, 21, who died, and of Quanita Wray, 24, who was critically injured. The sisters were shot at the home they shared in the 5400 block of East 42nd Street.Police said the shooting was the latest in a string of domestic incidents involving Robinson, who is believed to have been in a relationship with Quanita Wray.

Eboni Richardson

Eboni Richardson

Baby's father, charged with murder, upset by relocation plan

Published August 29, 2009 by Post Tribune

by Jon Seidel

GARY, INDIANA -- Distraught because his 19-month-old daughter might move with her mother to Texas, Cordell Richardson took the girl and, according to police, said "nobody was going to take his daughter away" before shooting and killing her.

Richardson, 22, is charged with murder in the death of the girl, Eboni Richardson. Police said he shot her in downtown Gary on Thursday just as he was expected to turn her over to her uncle. Then he shot himself in the head.

A Methodist Hospitals spokeswoman declined to release information about Richardson's condition Friday afternoon at its Merrillville campus where he's hospitalized. He faces a maximum of 65 years in prison if convicted. The Lake County Prosecutor's Office said he is to be held in the county jail without bond.

In a charging affidavit filed in Lake County Superior Court on Friday, Gary police describe a frantic attempt by friends and family to return the girl to her mother, Shaina Hill, hours before the shooting.

Hill, of Gary, told police she gave Richardson permission to take the child, according to the affidavit.

However, Cpl. Gabrielle King said Richardson called her at 4 p.m. Thursday and said she would never see Eboni again if she didn't meet him at his house by 4:30 p.m.

She arrived with police, according to reports, but Richardson wasn't there. Richardson then called Hill and refused to return Eboni.

Hill went to the home of Jamell Campbell, Richardson's brother-in-law, and told him Richardson was refusing to give Eboni back. Campbell told police he called Richardson, who told him he didn't want to lose his daughter.

Campbell called Jerry Wheeler, Richardson's friend, and Thomas Murray, Richardson's brother. Wheeler said Richardson called him and said he had kidnapped Eboni, according to court documents.

After several phone calls, Richardson agreed to meet Campbell, Wheeler and Murray at Murray's grandfather's home in Gary. When they got there, Richardson called again and told them to meet him at Bennigan's restaurant, 500 E. 5th Ave. in Gary.

The men found Richardson's truck in the parking lot and parked next to it, police said. Richardson was seen sitting on the driver's side in the back seat, holding Eboni.

Campbell told police he was walking up to the truck, heard two gunshots and saw a flash from inside. Murray opened the back door and discovered that Richardson had shot himself in the head.

Wheeler opened the door on the other side, police said, and Eboni, who had a gunshot wound in her chest, fell into his arms. Wheeler took her, got back into the car he had arrived in, and tried to drive to the hospital with Murray. Campbell got into Richardson's truck to drive there, as well.

Police said the car carrying Eboni broke down at 4th Avenue and Monroe Street, and Campbell had to pick the men and the baby up on the way to the hospital.

Members of Eboni's family could not be reached Friday.

Reggie Johnson, Hill's neighbor, said Eboni was a happy baby who liked to dress up for church and had joined his grandchildren to play outside less than a month ago.

"They were all out here playing with the bubbles," Johnson said.

He described Hill as a "work-aholic" who took care of her grandmother. He said he never noticed a problem between her and Richardson.

"He loved that baby," Johnson said.

Contact Jon Seidel at 648-3068 or jseidel@post-trib.com.

Leanne Serrano-Paulsen

Leanne Serrano-Paulson

‘Cosby’ writer charged in wife's murder

Leanne Serrano-Paulsen found beaten to death; young son unharmed

updated 11:23 p.m. ET, Thurs., May 3, 2007

NOBLESVILLE, Ind. - A TV comedy writer and producer was charged Thursday with murder in the death of his wife, authorities said.

John James “J.J.” Paulsen, 47, a writer and producer on “Cosby,” “In Living Color” and other shows, has been held in jail since his wife’s decomposing body was discovered April 18 in the couple’s upscale home in Carmel, north of Indianapolis.

Leanne Serrano-Paulsen, 39, had been beaten to death and was dead for at least a week before her body was found, according to her autopsy report.

When officers entered the home, they found the couple’s 16-month-old son, Christopher, alone in a crib, crying but unharmed, authorities said.

J.J. Paulsen, who was found walking along a street about three miles away, was arrested on charges of child abandonment and violation of probation, authorities said.

Paulsen pleaded guilty in January to domestic battery. Police said Serrano-Paulsen called police twice last year after she was beaten by her husband.

Jail officials did not know whether Paulsen had an attorney.

Indianapolis Monthly article on the crime: click here.

Husband sentenced:

updated 5:48 p.m. ET, Fri., March. 27, 2009

NOBLESVILLE, Ind. - A television comedy writer and producer for shows including “Cosby” and “In Living Color” has been sentenced in Indiana to 26 years in prison in the beating death of his wife.

Forty-nine-year-old John James “J.J.” Paulsen was sentenced Friday in Hamilton Superior Court on charges of voluntary manslaughter, neglect of a dependent and moving a body from the scene of death.

Prosecutors had dropped a murder charge as part of a plea agreement.

Amy Meyer White

Wells County Man Charged in Wife's Death

Story Published: Oct 28, 2009 at 12:14 PM EDT 
 
WELLS COUNTY, Ind. (Indiana's NewsCenter) - A Wells County man appeared in court Wednesday morning on charges that he shot and killed his estranged wife.

27-year-old Tyler White is charged with murder, and is tentatively scheduled to stand trial on April 20th.
Police arrested him Tuesday morning after they say they found him next to his wife's body at their Wells County home on County Road 100 South.

They claim he confessed.

Officials say he shot and killed 28-year-old Amy Meyer White while they were exchanging custody of their toddler.

The couple had been going through a divorce.  The child is now in the custody of relatives.

Amy Meyer White was the Assistant Cross-Country Coach at South Adams High School, and had been an Assistant Basketball Coach at the University of Saint Francis, where she had also played.

Mike Pries, Athletic Director for South Adams says Amy White has a big impact.

"She was a very positive and encouraging coach," explained Pries. " She was a good person. She was one of the best athletes that ever graduated from South Adams."

Meyer-White graduated from South Adams in 1999, and still remains the school's all-time leading scorer in basketball.

The results of an autopsy conducted on Tuesday are expected next week.

Nicole James

Nicole James

Two adults found dead, child shot on west side

Posted: Mar 01, 2010 12:28 PM EST

Tuesday night update: Corbin Harris is currently listed in critical condition. His family released the following statement Tuesday:

"Even in this tragedy, we are grateful for the community's thoughts, prayers and overall concern for Corbin's well-being. At this time, we are focusing on Corbin's recovery and ask that our family's privacy be respected."

Chris Proffitt/Eyewitness News

Indianapolis - Police found two people dead in a west side apartment Monday morning. Also inside was a four-year-old boy who was shot in the head. It happened at Chapel Hill Apartments on West Saint Clair Street near the intersection of 10th Street and Girls School Road.

Investigators say the deaths of Nicole James, 35, and Daunte Roberts, 36, appear to be a murder-suicide.

"We believe it's the result of a domestic situation. We don't know at this point who did the shooting. That's still under investigation," said Lt. Jeff Duhamell, IMPD. "It's a tragic situation all the way around."

Police say the child's father, who doesn't live in the apartment, became alarmed when he couldn't reach the little boy's mother. Neighbors say police on Sunday were at the apartment checking on the child's welfare but that no one was home.

Officers entered the apartment at around 11:30 Monday morning and discovered the bodies of James and Roberts. Four-year-old Rubin Corbin Harris was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. Police don't know how long the boy was inside the apartment after the shooting.

Neighbors say it wasn't uncommon to hear James and her unidentified boyfriend arguing as they were on Sunday night.

"We heard arguing, screaming and yelling and doors slamming. We heard it before so we didn't think anything of it," said Shelby Haltom.

"I know that he was here constantly and there were always doors banging, screaming and yelling," said Danita Vannoy, neighbor. "There was always some type of disturbance or argument going on."

Neighbors say that the couple had a volatile relationship and that James, at some point, took out restraining orders against Roberts.

"My understanding is that there was a restraining order. Whether it was on this individual here or the biological father, we just don't know yet," said Lt. Duhamell. "We don't know if it's still valid. Whether it expired."

Police were at the apartment Sunday afternoon, neighbors say, but never went inside.

"They knocked, pounded on the door, there was no response," said Lt. Duhamell. "We just didn't have enough information at that point to go in there."

"They was here probably about three hours," said Vannoy.

But the Monday was a different story. That's when police heard the child crying inside and found him shot in the head, but alive.

"Pretty miraculously the little kid to survive," said Lt. Duhamell.

A co-worker of Nicole James told Eyewitness News that James had expressed some concern to her that Roberts had been acting weird over the past five months. James told the co-worker she wasn't scared, just concerned.

Because of the couple's stormy history, neighbors say they didn't think twice Sunday night when they heard more noise.

"Doors slamming, hollering," recalled Vannoy.

Josiah Shaw

Gary Police say that baby Josiah Shaw’s father is a person of interest in the case of his killing during a carjacking that left his mother — Kwana Shaw — on life support after a bullet ripped through her lung, reports Lori Caldwell for the Post-Tribune.

Kwana Shaw is in critical condition from a single gunshot wound that destroyed her lung.

Her 13-month-old son is dead, shot twice — in the face and groin — by a carjacker who left the woman’s car a few blocks from the abduction, Lt. Del Stout said Tuesday.

Police believe the child’s father may have left his job at Arcelor-Mittal’s Burns Harbor plant Monday night to meet Shaw, 29, of Schererville, about 7 p.m. at a friend’s house in the Lancaster Homes complex, 21st and Virginia.

Terry Bethel, also known as Terry Noel, 34, was arrested by Portage police and members of the Gary SWAT team shortly before midnight Monday at his Portage home. Police called him a “person of interest” in the shooting.

Mom sues boy's father, uncle

July 17, 2009

By Lori Caldwell, Post-Tribune staff writer

GARY--A civil lawsuit filed Thursday accuses young Josiah Shaw's father and uncle of conspiring to kill him and wound his mother.

Kwana Shaw, who was critically wounded in the Jan. 28, 2008, shooting, filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Lake Superior Court seeking compensation for the loss of her 13-month-old son and the cost of her physical and emotional recovery.

"My goal is to get justice for Josiah Shaw and Kwana Shaw in any form available. We're looking for someone to be responsible," Miller attorney Darnail Lyles said.

The child's father, Terry Bethel, also known as Terry Noel, of Portage, had scheduled a visit with Josiah and knew where he and his mother would be that afternoon, the lawsuit states.

Kwana Shaw identified Bethel's brother, Joe Noel, also known as Sean Noel, in a photo line-up as the masked man who ran up to her outside her friend's Lancaster apartment, shot her and fled in her car with Josiah in the back seat.

Minutes later, police found the vehicle a few blocks away. Inside, Josiah had been shot in the face and groin and died a short time later.

The lawsuit alleges the brothers worked together to incapacitate Kwana and kidnap the boy "to batter and cause the death of Baby Shaw." Lyles notes nothing was taken from car during the theft.

No criminal charges have been filed. Detectives have presented a case to prosecutors who want more evidence.

"It sits in a stack of files gathering dust," Lyles said. "We're looking for someone to be responsible."

Merrillville attorney Scott L. King, representing Terry Bethel, said he was unaware of the lawsuit.

Days before Josiah was killed, Bethel had been ordered to begin paying child support. The child's family reported Bethel made threats to them.

Lilianna Goodmann

Baby dies following beating

Posted: Mar 13, 2009 5:03 PM EDT

Indianapolis - A baby who was hospitalized after being beaten earlier this week has died.

Fourteen-month-old Lilianna Goodmann died Friday afternoon at St. Vincent Hospital. Police say Goodmann was removed from life support at 3:30 pm.

"Unfortunately, we've known from the time that she arrived at the hospital that there was very little chance of survival," said IMPD Sgt. Paul Thompson. "She was seriously injured as a result of this beating and it's our understanding they did everything they could possibly do, but her injuries were just too extensive."

Tayuan Chism, 18, is accused of beating the girl with a belt for being disrespectful and not eating her food. He was arrested Thursday after his 21-year-old pregnant girlfriend and her baby were admitted to the hospital.

"It was very shocking. This is a result of an 18-year-old young man making the accusations stating that a 14-month-old girl failed to show him adequate respect," Sgt. Thompson said. "And I don't know how anyone can comprehend that statement."

The woman claimed Chism beat her and the girl the day before. She was treated and released from the hospital.

"Investigators are very confident that the majority of the injuries - the most serious injuries - were inflicted by the use of a belt," Sgt. Thompson said. "There may have been some additional trauma inflicted, such as blunt force trauma with the hand or a fist, but we have to do an autopsy to determine the nature of those injuries and how they were inflicted."

Chism was taken into custody in the waiting room at St. Vincent Hospital.

"He in his own mind thought this was a disciplinary action and he made a comment to officers before he was taken into custody that this was a disciplinary action," Sgt. Thompson said. "So he must have felt pretty strongly about that or had no fear of being taken into custody."

Police say others who were there at the time of the beating told them it lasted 1-2 hours. Investigators are reviewing that part of the case to determine if more charges need are warranted.

On Friday afternoon, Chism's mother, Kimberly Johnson told Eyewitness News her son could never have hurt a child. She says when her son found out the child had been hurt, he ran right to the hospital.

"That people are saying that he beat the baby with a belt - at first they said for two hours, then they said for an hour - there is no way possible. There is no way possible," Johnson said.

She believes there were others in the apartment who are trying to cover up the truth.

"What type of human being watches a one year old get beat by one person? No one called 911, no one tried to restrain him," Johnson said. "No, I just don't believe what happened over there."

Police, on the other hand, believe Chism is solely responsible.

Chism is in jail on preliminary charges of neglect of a dependent, aggravated battery and domestic battery charges. His bail was increased to $1 million after the girl's death. Prosecutor's office spokesman Mario Massillamany says officials will consider adding a murder charge.

A family friend claims that another person - not Chism - is responsible for the beating. Chism is due in court Monday.

Tayuan Chism