Tammy Sue Birdsell

 Tammy Birdsell

Arrest made in case that's 4 years old

October 10, 2011

CARROLL COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) - There's been an arrest made in connection with a shooting death committed 4 1/2 years ago. Victim's family said they feel as if they are one step closer to justice.

Dan Fassnacht, whom police said the victim was in a relationship, was arrested Friday on preliminary charges of voluntary manslaughter. He was bonded out on $50,000 bond.

43-year-old Tammy Birdsell from Flora was found dead outside of Dan Fassnacht's home at County Road 200 East around 3:00 on the morning of April 4, 2007.  The Carroll County Sheriff's Department said Birdsell died from a single gunshot wound.

Indiana State Police Sergeant Kim Riley said Fassnacht and Birdsell had a relationship, but he's not sure why Birdsell was at his house at that hour.  Police said Fassnacht claimed to have heard something going on outside in his shed when he called police and asked them to come check it out.

Police found a rifle lying next to Birdsell that was from Fassnacht's property.  Carroll County Sheriff Tony Burns said detectives questioned Fassnacht about the death of Birdsell, but then released him.

Birdsell had three children, ages 13, 15, and 20.

Obituary:

Nov. 30, 1963 - April 4, 2007

Tammy Sue Birdsell, 43, Flora, passed away early Wednesday morning, April 4, 2007, in Bringhurst. She was born Nov. 30, 1963, to Jim Jenkins and Carolyn Tyra. She was previously married to Jim Prater.

She had been employed as a day care worker. Her hobbies included fishing, camping and sewing. Tammy was a 1982 graduate of Delphi High School.

Surviving are her mother, Carolyn Tyra, Flora; father, Jim Jenkins, Yeoman; two sons, Dustin Prater, Flora, and Joseph Prater, at home; one daughter, Tabatha “Tabby” Prater, also at home; three brothers, James Jenkins, Jeff Jenkins, and T.J. Brower, all of Lafayette; two sisters, Lynn Simms, Burlington, and Teresa Sisson, Bringhurst; and two grandchildren.

Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at Reinke Funeral Home, Flora, following two hours of visitation. Creta Hollis will officiate the service.

Carmen Ramos

Shooter Sentenced to 40 years in Prison for Killing Kids' Mom

Updated: Monday, 11 Jul 2011, 6:15 PM EDT

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - Thomas Manjarez was sentenced Monday to 40 years in prison for the April 2010 killing of Carmen Ramos, the mother of his three children.

In June, Thomas Manjarez pleaded guilty to the death of Carmen Ramos.

Manjarez, 36, shot Ramos in April of 2010 and police in Texas arrested him in January.

Ramos, 33, was found face down in a pool of blood with multiple gun shot wounds inside her home at 1307 Huestis Avenue in Fort Wayne.

She had called police to her home multiple times to file charges for domestic assault, and had a protective order against Manjarez prior to the murder. But that order expired in early April, just days before the murder.

It was emotional in the Allen County courtroom Monday. Denise Spila, Ramos' sister, was there with more family members looking for justice. Spila thinks Manjarez deserved more time behind bars.

"I wish he got more time," said Spila. "I would have loved for him to be put away for life. Because she (Ramos) is never coming back so why should he have a life?"

Manjarez' mother Doreen Ramirez was also at the sentencing. She thinks her son got what he deserved.

"He's not a monster. He just made a bad decision," said Ramirez. "They will never forget, but God-willing they can forgive."

Under the plea agreement, prosecutors changed his charge to voluntary manslaughter.

Manjarez will also spend an additional 10 years on probation.

Christian Choate

Christian Choate

Dad, Stepmom Charged in Murder of Boy Found Under Concrete Slab

By Ruth Ann Krause, Chicago Sun-Times Media
May 11, 2011

Locked in a dog cage naked or chained to a bed frame, 13-year-old Christian Choate wouldn’t make much noise because if he did, the beatings would get worse.

The boy, found buried in a shallow grave near his former mobile home one week ago, had been abused for two to three years, police said.

Murder, battery, neglect of a dependent and criminal confinement charges were filed in Lake County, Ind. Tuesday against the boy’s father, Riley Lowell Choate, 39, of Hammond, and stepmother, Kimberly Leona Kubina, 45, of the Black Oak section of Gary. They will appear for initial hearings Wednesday morning.

Witnesses told police that Choate would slap Christian in the face after family members alleged Christian had molested a male relative. The beatings, which were witnessed by other children, grew more severe as Choate and his now ex-wife argued and Choate took it out on Christian, court records state.

When the family lived in the 7200 block of Polk Street in Merrillville, Choate and Kubina would lock Christian in a room in the basement. After the family moved to the Colfax Mobile Home Park in Black Oak, Riley put Christian in a dog cage bought from a neighbor and secured with seven locks. A witness told police Christian lived in the dog cage at their home in the 5900 block of West 36th Avenue every day for more than a year, until his death on April 5, 2009.

During that time, the boy’s parents would have his 17-year-old sister chain him to a bed frame that was leaning up against a dresser. The girl told police she was responsible for feeding Christian, taking him to the bathroom, forcing him to exercise or physically punishing him for failing to follow orders. She told police Choate would abuse her if she didn’t perform her duties properly.

“He needs to be locked up. He’s a dog,” Kubina told the other children, court records state.

Some beatings videotaped

As the beatings escalated, Christian would be denied food and confined naked except for a diaper, sometimes gagged with a sock and duct tape. The other children would try to sneak him food. Ice-cold baths twice a week would prompt his screams. The boy’s hands and feet began to turn purple from being tied to the bed frame.

The girl said she would strike the boy and once choked him until he turned blue, and used her stepmother’s video camera at Kubina’s direction to record the beatings. Those recordings were later recorded over, the girl said, but police searched Kubina’s home in Kentucky and recovered several computers, digital cameras, cell phones and other electronic storage devices.

On the day before Christian died, he refused to eat. His father became enraged and punched him in his head with full force several times before throwing him back in the cage, authorities said. On April 5, 2009, the girl told police she woke up and tried to feed her brother some cereal, but he refused, so she slapped him across the face twice and put him in the cage. She continued to check on him and eventually noticed he wasn’t breathing and called her stepmother and aunt, who had gone to pick up one of the other children who got in trouble at school. The girl said she attempted CPR on Christian with an air mattress pump.

At Kubina’s direction, the girl told police, she wrapped Christian in a yellow blanket, put him inside two black plastic bags and secured them in duct tape. Authorities alleged that Kubina and Choate buried the boy under a shed across the street from his former home in Black Oak. Police found the body under a layer of concrete, covered with lime and a Bible resting on his chest.

Cage meant for a dog

After the boy died, Kubina told the children Christian had run away, but a witness recalled Kubina asking Choate if he thought they would get caught. “What are you talking about?” Choate responded as he played racing games on the computer. “You know, the thing about Christian,” Kubina is quoted as saying.

Kubina told the children that Christian running away “is a family thing and we’re going to work through it. This goes to the grave,” court documents said.

Christian’s mother, Aimee Estrada, said she left Choate after he began abusing her. Choate had custody of their two children in July 2005, and Estrada said she was not allowed to visit her children after last seeing Christian in 2005. She contacted police May 1 after learning from her daughter that Christian had died.

Lori Wingard, the Choates’ former neighbor at Colfax Mobile Home Park, said Kubina approached her about buying the dog cage for $15. Wingard had sold her Alaskan malamute and the new owners weren’t taking the cage with them. When she learned the cage was used to confine Christian, Wingard said she cried and cried. “I had no idea,” she said.

On Tuesday, Choate pleaded not guilty to earlier charges of removal of a body from a death scene, failure to notify authorities of the discovery of a dead body and failure to report a dead body.

From the Huffington Post:

The extent of that homeschooling was revealed in some letters found by DCS. When other children were out playing, Kubina would give Christian paper and tell him to write....In a still more disturbing twist, the Northwest Indiana Times reveals some of the assignments his stepmother gave:

Kubina wrote topics on top of some of the pages including, "Why do you want to play with your peter? Why do you still want to see your mom? Why can't you let the past go? What does it mean to be part of a family?" DCS records state.

'I want to die': Chilling letters of boy, 13, 'kept in dog cage and beaten to death by parents'

Christian's Biological Mother

Aimee Estrada, Christian's abused mom, was BLOCKED from seeing the children for years.  See the information on it here.  (SHE DID NOT GIVE UP CUSTODY OF HER CHILDREN, AN INDIANA JUDGE GAVE THE ABUSIVE FATHER, WHO WAS NOT HER HUSBAND, CHILD CUSTODY). She is currently seeking custody of the daughter, who is in the custody of the stepmother's family.

Sparkle Majors

Sparkle Majors

Victim Found Fatally Shot On North Side

April 18, 2011

INDIANAPOLIS -- Police are looking for a 21-year-old man in connection with the fatal shooting of a woman on Indianapolis' north side early Monday morning.

The shooting happened just before 7 a.m. inside an apartment at the Presidential Estates Apartments in the 1700 block of Century Circle South, near Harcourt Road and 79th Street.

Sparkle Majors, 21, was found shot in the head inside the apartment and died at the scene, investigators said.

Two children were inside the home at the time of the shooting. Child Protective Services took a toddler and a baby from the home after the shooting.

Neighbors said they were outside with their children waiting for a school bus when shots rang out.

"I heard about three to four gunshots," said Kimberly Carver, who lives in the complex. "Before we could pick up the phone to call 911, police were already at the scene."

Indianapolis police identified the suspect as Chris Woods, 21, of Indianapolis. Police said he left the apartments southbound on foot after the shooting.

Woods is black, about 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs about 135 pounds. Woods has a high fade haircut with curls on top. He was last seen wearing dark clothing, Indianapolis police Sgt. Linda Jackson said.

The suspect and victim knew each other, but details of that relationship weren't released. Police said Majors was staying at the apartment when Woods came in and started firing.

Greenbriar Elementary School was locked down as police scoured the area. Children were allowed into the school as they arrived, but they are not allowed to leave. Westlane Middle School was also locked down, school officials said.

Police were searching in an area known as Grandview Reserves, trying to find Woods.

Some residents said they live in fear of more violence.

"I'm too scared to even look out my window to even see what apartment they're from. What if they see me looking at them?" one resident said.

UPDATE

April 20, 2011

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - The man accused of shooting and killing a woman in a northwest side apartment on Monday will be in court Thursday.

Police say they apprehended Christopher Woods following a short foot chase Tuesday evening at Community North Hospital, where security officers recognized the suspect. Officers had been searching for Woods since Monday's shooting. A court hearing is set for 8:30 a.m. Thursday.

Woods faces preliminary charges of murder, possession of a firearm without a license and unrelated drug charges. IMPD had targeted him as a suspect in the shooting death of 21-year-old Sparkle Majors.

Majors was gunned down at Presidential Estates Apartments. Her two children were home at the time. Family members say Woods is the father of one of those children, and Majors and Woods were a couple.

Vicky S. Wade

Seymour Man Accused in Beating Death of Wife

April 24, 2011

SEYMOUR, Ind. (AP) - Police say a southern Indiana man who tried to kill himself is accused of killing his wife.

Seymour Police Chief Bill Abbot told The Tribune of Seymour that 56-year-old Terry L. Wade was arrested Sunday after being released from the hospital.

Wade is charged with murder in the beating death of his wife, 54-year-old Vicky S. Wade. Police say they found her body at the couple's home after a request for a welfare check from a family member at the home.

Abbott says Terry Wade was also found at the home and hospitalized for an overdose after he tried to kill himself.  Following an autopsy Friday morning, the coroner's office has determined Vicky Wade's cause of death as a result of blunt force trauma.

Obituary

Vicky S. Wade, 54, of Seymour, passed away Thursday, April 21, 2011 at her residence.

Vicky was born July 6, 1956 in Seymour. She was the daughter of the late Doug Harmon and Anne Williams Harmon Fisbeck who survives.

Vicky was an employee of Ai-sin. She was also an Avon representative, doing fund raisers in Jackson, Jennings and Bartholomew Counties. Vicky contributed to “Kids Corner” of the Seymour Tribune. She enjoyed writing, especially short stories. One of her other enjoyments were animals.

Vicky married Terry Wade, October 29, 1983 in Hope. She is survived by her husband, Terry; a son, Travis Wade; sisters, Kristal (Sean) Hubbard and Michelle Hallett; and her mother. She was preceded in death by her father.

A celebration of Vicky’s life will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Voss Chapel. Calling will be from 4 p.m. until time of the memorial celebration Tuesday at the funeral home. Memorials may be written to the donor’s choice.

Arrangements are under the careful direction of Voss & Sons Funeral Service and Tri-County Crematory in Seymour.

Lavenna Shorter

Lavenna Shorter

Man Shot, Killed Girlfriend In Alley

911 Call Alerts Officers To Victim

April 9, 2011

INDIANAPOLIS -- A man was arrested and charged with murder after a woman was found fatally shot in an alley on Indianapolis' east side early Saturday.

Indianapolis Metro Police were called to an alley just east of the 900 block of Sherman Drive at about 2 a.m.

A 911 caller told dispatchers that she heard a gunshot and then heard a woman screaming, 6News' Myrt Price reported.

"Officers arrived and discovered one female suffering from a gunshot wound," said Kendale Adams, Indianapolis police public information officer. "Indianapolis EMS arrived on scene and pronounced the victim deceased."

Police charged Oscar Hall, 38, in connection with the shooting. The victim was identified as Lavenna Shorter, 42.

After receiving the tip from the 911 caller, police tracked Hall down at a home in the 9400 block of East 43rd Street, where they took him into custody.

"He was transported to the homicide office, where he was interviewed and subsequently charged with murder," Adams said.

Police said the shooting may have been the result of some sort of domestic dispute. Neighbors said they believe Shorter was trying to break-up with Hall, which may have sparked the dispute.

"From what I understand, he may have been stalking her," Adams said.

Police said Hall has a lengthy criminal record and was just released from prison earlier this year.

Also:

INDIANAPOLIS -- The family of a slain Indianapolis woman who police said was killed by her boyfriend early Saturday is speaking publicly.

Lavenna Shorter's family said they are still in shock about her death, but they admit they knew she was having problems with her boyfriend, 6News' Myrt Price reported.

"He killed my daughter, and it was cold-blooded," said Marie Adams, Lavenna's mother.

"It's killing me, man. That was my baby. Words cant describe," said Lavenna's father.

Shorter's family said they are devastated and are still trying to come to terms with the fact that she is gone.

"She was a nice young lady. She wasn't into nothing. (She would) go to work and take care of her two girls. She was just a nice person, anyone will tell you in the world she was a beautiful person," Adams said.

Family members said the nightmare began Saturday morning when Oscar Hall barged into her home.

"He stole her key. She didn't know he had a key, and he opened her door. He came in and started tripping and she said, 'Let's go. I'm going to take you home.' That's where she was taking him to his mother's house," Adams said.

However, once the couple arrived in the 900 block of Sherman Avenue, police said Hall shot and killed Shorter.

Police said the shooting happened in front of Shorter's daughter, Corey Hooten.

Hooten said after the suspect shot her mother, he then pointed the gun at her.

"He put the gun to my head and asked me if I want to be next," Hooten said.

Hooten said Hall eventually lowered the gun and drove off.

"For some reason, God stepped in and saved her," Adams said.

Shorter's family said Lavenna and Hall had been dating for a few months, but she had recently been trying to break things off.

"I just don't understand why he did this," Adams said.

The family said the only way they can ever have closure is for the suspect to pay for what he allegedly did.

"I want justice," said Adams. "I want him punished severely."

Shorter's mother offered advice to women who may find themselves in a troubled relationship: get away as fast as you can and don't be afraid to get help from family and friends.

UPDATE:

August 25, 2011

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - A man was sentenced to 60 years in prison on Thursday after he pleaded guilty to killing his 42-year-old girlfriend.

Oscar Hall was charged with murder from an incident on April 9, when police say he shot his girlfriend, Lavenna Shorter, in the head after an argument escalated. It happened around 2 a.m. in an alley in the 900 block of Sherman Avenue, near 10th Street.

Shorter’s daughter was reportedly home when the shooting happened.

Quinton S. Lewis

Quinton S. Lewis

Parolee arrested in man's April slaying

Charles V. Lawrence had served 14 years for a woman's 1995 killing.

March 2, 2011
By Ellie Bogue
of The News-Sentinel

A Fort Wayne parolee convicted of shooting a woman nine times in 1995 was in court Tuesday for the first day of his trial in the April killing of a 29-year-old city man.

Charles V. Lawrence, 35, watched as the jury was selected for the trial in the April 24 slaying of Quinton S. Lewis in a Kekionga Drive apartment building. Lawrence, released from state prison in February 2010 after serving 14 years of a 30-year sentence for a 1996 attempted-murder conviction, is being tried on charges of murder and possession of a firearm by a violent felon.

Lewis was gunned down at 2 a.m. in an apartment building at 4320 Kekionga Drive, in the Indian Village Garden Apartments complex off Engle Road. Police found him lying in the hallway, and medics pronounced him dead at the scene.

Police were called at 10 p.m. April 23 for a reported domestic violence, when Lawrence's sister, Tekella Lawrence, said Lewis – who lived with her – had battered her before leaving in her car with her cell phone, a probable-cause affidavit said.

According to testimony Tuesday, Tekella Lawrence said she had been involved with Lewis for 11 years.

According to her, the two had argued over her plans to go out for the evening, and Lewis hit her in the mouth with a liquor bottle.

According to Deputy Prosecutor Steve Godfrey, police records show it wasn't the first time the two had fought.

In addition to calling 911, Tekella Lawrence contacted her sister Louise and brother Charles, who along with several other friends went to Tekella's apartment.

According to testimony from Louise and Tekella, the visitors stayed about 20 minutes and left.

Charles Lawrence stayed about five minutes longer. Louise told the court that her brother didn't seem angry over the incident.

Godfrey pointed out that police records said when Tekella was questioned about the events of the night, shortly after they happened, she had said her brother had stayed with her to protect her. Louise Lawrence and Charles' fiancée, now wife, Sanya Perry Lawrence, both denied this in their testimony.

While Louise Lawrence and friends headed out to a club, Sanya Perry Lawrence testified she and Lawrence went to the Burger King on Bluffton Road, where they argued. He got out of the car on Bluffton Road and she returned to their apartment on Fairfield Avenue.

She couldn't sleep, but after 10 minutes, Lawrence called her and said he would be home shortly and apologized for their earlier disagreement.

Godfrey questioned this in court, and pointed out to Sanya Perry Lawrence that according to police records, shortly after the shooting she had said Lawrence was with her all night.

Tekella Lawrence testified that after people left her apartment she smoked marijuana and took two Vicodin.

She said she awoke to hear a popping noise that sounded like fireworks. She moved from the bedroom to the living room, where she noticed the door to her apartment was slightly cracked open; she closed the door. She lay down on the couch, and when she awoke it was to the knock of the Fort Wayne Police Department.

UPDATE

April 11, 2011

A 36-year-old Fort Wayne man convicted of murder for the fatal shooting of his sister’s boyfriend was sentenced Monday to 90 years in prison.

Charles V. Lawrence Sr. maintained his innocence in the death of Quinton Lewis and said he plans to appeal his conviction.

Lawrence, who was on parole for attempted murder at the time of Lewis’ death, was convicted by a jury early last month.

The murder case was built largely on earlier statements by Lawrence’s siblings to police, which put him inside his sister’s apartment at the time Lewis was shot in the face with a .45-caliber pistol.

But prosecutors battled those same witnesses’ subsequent stories from the witness stand, all putting Lawrence somewhere else at the time, even at different places at the same time. At varying times Lawrence’s sisters said he was with them, or not with them, and his wife said he was with her, and then not with her.

Prosecutors played a portion of interviews his sisters had given police, and Lewis’ girlfriend – Lawrence’s sister – said Lawrence promised to stay with her that night.

On the stand during the trial, that sister, Tekella Lawrence, said her brother left her apartment after he, another sister, his then-fiancée and another friend came over to check on her after Lewis battered her in the face.

Lewis, 29, left with her keys, cell phone and car and when he returned early the next morning, someone fired a gun as he opened the door, shooting him in the face. The shooter then followed him down the stairs and shot him in the top of the head, killing him, according to testimony.

The gun used was later found in a wooded area at Kekionga Middle School by a group of students out on a nature walk with their teacher.

Defense attorney Donald Swanson argued during the trial that there was no physical evidence tying Lawrence to the shooting inside the Kekionga Drive apartment. Other than his cross-examinations of the state’s witnesses and his opening and closing statements, Swanson presented no additional defense of Lawrence.

(This was a difficult post, as the victim was also a perpetrator).

Phillip Danner

Phillip Danner

Two Boys Accused of Killing Stepdad So They Could Run Away

Charles Wilson

WARSAW, Ind. (April 30) -- Two young friends from a quiet, middle-class neighborhood in northern Indiana wanted to run away to Arizona so badly, prosecutors say, that they gunned down a stepfather who stood in the way of their plans.

The two alleged triggermen -- ages 15 and 12 -- kept the plot a closely guarded secret until the older boy's 49-year-old stepfather, Phillip Danner, was shot to death in his home last week, according to neighbors and family members who testified at a hearing Thursday in which a judge ruled the boys would be tried for murder as adults.

Phillip Danner, 49, was gunned down in his home in Cromwell, Ind., on April 20. His 15-year-old stepson and a 12-year-old friend have been charged in the slaying.

But sheriff's Detective Jonathan Tyler testified that the boys and two of their friends, who didn't take part in the actual slaying, plotted for at least a month to kill Danner, so they could run off to Arizona.

On the day of the slaying, the boys met at a park before going to the older boy's home near Lake Wawasee, between Fort Wayne and South Bend, where he had gathered two of Danner's handguns, Tyler said. The two defendants waited in the living room until Danner appeared in a kitchen doorway, Tyler said, then shot him four times -- once in the eye, once in the wrist and twice in the chest.

Neighbors and family members who testified Thursday said the 15-year-old and 12-year-old were good students who stayed out of serious trouble at school. The worst trouble either had been in was when the 15-year-old was put under juvenile court supervision for four months last year after he shot a BB gun at a neighbor riding a lawn mower.

"Obviously, something's gone very wrong," the 15-year-old boy's mother said. "I don't know what that is. I would like to know what that is."

The Associated Press did not identify the woman because she shares her son's last name. The AP generally does not identify juveniles accused of crimes.

One of the two other boys who authorities say took part in the planning is a 12-year-old who is being detained on juvenile charges of aiding a murder. The other boy hasn't been charged.

According to police, the two 12-year-olds and the 15-year-old met up hours after the shooting and took off in a car belonging to the 15-year-old's mother, who was in Florida on vacation.

Investigators still aren't certain why the boys wanted to go to Arizona. One theory is that the boys -- who allegedly killed Danner and headed west on April 20, an unofficial holiday for marijuana users -- intended to sell pot. Police said alcohol, marijuana and a gun were found in the car when the boys were caught in Peru, Ill., about 5 a.m. the next day.

Attorneys for the murder suspects stressed Thursday that both boys were presumed innocent and urged Judge Duane Huffer to treat them as juveniles, saying their chances of rehabilitation would be greater in the juvenile system than in adult prison. But Huffer said the juvenile system wasn't equipped to deal with crimes of such magnitude.

"The act alleged was violent and unprovoked," Huffer said.

Both boys are being held in the county jail and could face an initial hearing in adult court as early as today, according to Chief Deputy Prosecutor Daniel Hampton.

Calvin Carr, 35, Danner's neighbor, said he thought the 15-year-old was "a good kid" but recently became suspicious that the boy might be smoking cigarettes and pot. After that, Carr said, the boy had stopped coming over to Carr's house to hang out with his children.

Mike Koher, a longtime friend of Danner's who often went motorcycling with the family on weekends, saw no sign of any trouble in his friend's relationship with his stepson. Sheriff's officials said they had found no sign of any abuse.

"I never seen anything out of the ordinary," said Koher, 53. "They seemed to get along."

He said the teen rode behind on his stepfather's Harley-Davidson on family trips while his mother rode her own motorcycle. He also said Danner bought dirt bikes for himself and his stepson so they could ride together, and they went fishing together in Danner's bass boat.

"It seemed real normal to me. Being a step's always tough, but I would never have saw this coming if that's what actually happened," Koher said.

Obituary

Phillip A. “Phil” Danner, 49, of Cromwell, passed away on Wednesday, April 21,2010, at his home.

He was born on Sept. 13, 1960 in Columbia City, Ind. to Dale and Carmen (Brower) Danner. On May 7, 2003, he married Robin (Gilson) Lundy.

Mr. Danner is survived by his wife Robin Danner, Cromwell; daughter Natasha (Aaron) Hoffman, Milford; son Brandon Sean (Dustie Ann) Woods, Oakfield, Tenn.; stepson Colt Lundy, Cromwell; a grandson, a stepgrandson; and 2 sisters: Karen (Scott) Brandel, Fort Wayne; and Kimberly (Bernie) Wilson, Warsaw.
He was preceded by his parents.

Visitation will be from 5-8 p.m. on Saturday April 24, 2010 at Owen Family Funeral Home, Syracuse. Services will be at 2 p.m. on Sunday April 25, 2010 at the funeral home with Pastor Kent Butcher of The Vineyard Community Church officiating. Burial will be in the North Webster Cemetery (Mock Addition) at a later date.

Leon Walker

Leon Walker

Boy's mother hoped new beginning was near

Woman entered church program, then came news of son's brutal death

May 4, 2010

BY LORI CALDWELL, (219) 648-3258

GARY -- Turquoise Walker thought she had a plan that would mark the start of a new beginning for herself and her two sons.

But that changed Wednesday night when 5-year-old Leon Walker arrived at the hospital, covered with welts and bruises, dead from a broken neck.

The boy's father, Leon Burns, 28, and his girlfriend, Rochell Johnson, 32, have been charged with murder and neglect in the beating death of the boy. Police say the boy was bound and tortured in the hours before his death.

Burns has a formal appearance in Lake Superior Court Judge Clarence Murray's court at 8:30 a.m. May 11. He's scheduled for a hearing on June 29.

Johnson has a May 14 court date.

Turquoise Walker, 26, cloistered in a church program for three weeks, is hurt, angry and confused about her loss.

"We planned this baby, we were engaged, we'd been together for six years. I was with this man throughout the all and all, the hard times and the good times. This was his first born," she said Monday from the Good Samaritan Mission home where she is part of a Christian Discipleship program.

"I read that he said he went too far. Yes, you did, you went too far when you beat him daily. What person in his right mind would do that?" she said.

Veteran investigators say the injuries they saw are some of the most brutal they've ever seen. Police accuse Burns of tying the boy's hands and with electrical cord and hitting him with a belt.

Johnson was at the Glen Park home the couple shared during the beatings, court records state. She heard the boy beg to be untied and heard his screams as he was punched. After he fell quiet, the couple called for an ambulance.

Leon died when his cervical spine was snapped. Police said he had a deep ligature mark around his neck.

Walker said she and Leon Burns were a couple for six years, then split. She had been living in Wisconsin, but Leon spoke with his father regularly. Last year she decided to come back to be near her family.

Her grandmother was taking care of Leon and her other son in East Chicago.

"I haven't seen my son in nine months. I've been on my own trying to make my own way; it's been one thing after another," she said.

Little Leon was "energetic. He loved his brother, he was always willing to help. He had the most beautiful smile," his mother recalled.

Mission Pastor Jim Watson said Turquoise Walker had crafted a colorful beaded key chain and a heart to mail to Leon for his sixth birthday on Monday.

"Within an hour of when she was going to the post office to mail the gifts, the police were here," Watson said.

"She came here so she could become the mother she needs to be. She thought her child was safe," Watson said, describing Walker as "fragile" in the aftermath of Leon's death.

Burns was supposed to keep the boy for a weekend visit, but when Walker's grandmother started calling to bring Leon home, "and it was one excuse after another," Walker said.

"Now we know why," she said.

Today Walker will make funeral arrangements for her son.

"I have no idea how to plan one," she said.

Watson said his church is handling the funeral costs. Anyone who wishes to donate in Leon Walker's memory to the program that helps women like his mother can send donations to the Good Samaritan Mission, P.O. Box 64580, Gary, Ind. 46401.

Franziska Stegbauer

Woman Killed Trying To Break Up Swordfight

Police: Men Fought With Swords During Argument

POSTED: 11:48 am EDT April 9, 2009

INDIANAPOLIS -- A woman was killed when she tried to break up a swordfight between her brother-in-law and a grandson in her home on Indianapolis' far-northwest side early Thursday morning.Franziska Stegbauer, 77, died as a result of stab wounds, Indianapolis police Sgt. Matt Mount said.Chris Rondeau, 39 and Adolf Stegbauer, 69, got into an argument at a home in the 5200 block of Raceway Road at about 1 a.m. that escalated when one of the men grabbed a sword, prompting the other man to also brandish a sword.

Police were initially unsure if Franziska Stegbauer's death resulted from stab wounds or from a medical condition brought on by the fight.Investigators are trying to determine which man stabbed the woman, but Rondeau was already being held on an attempted murder charge because of wounds that Adolf Stegbauer suffered.Adolf Stegbauer was listed in critical condition at Wishard Memorial Hospital Thursday afternoon after undergoing surgery."We're unsure yet who started this fight, how the swordplay got involved," said Indianapolis police Sgt. Matt Mount. "We're not sure who it was who stabbed the woman. We'll have to do some testing on the swords and figure out who had which sword, whose blood is on which sword."Rondeau, who was also hospitalized with stab wounds, was held Thursday afternoon at the hospital's detention unit.

Also see post for dear Adolf Stegbauer here, who did not survive.

Adolf Stegbauer

Man Dies Days After Swordfight That Killed Woman

Charges Expected To Be Upgraded Against Other Man In Stabbing

POSTED: 1:11 pm EDT April 13, 2009

INDIANAPOLIS -- A man died Monday, days after he was stabbed in a swordfight with the grandson of a woman who was also fatally stabbed when she tried to intervene in the fight, police said.Adolf Stegbauer, 69, died from complications of a stab wound, Indianapolis police said. Charges that were already pending against the man who police said stabbed Stegbauer, Chris Rondeau, 39, were expected to be upgraded.Franziska Stegbauer, 77, also died as a result of stab wounds after the fight early Thursday morning, but police were not initially sure which of the men had stabbed her.

Rondeau and Adolf Stegbauer got into an argument at a home in the 5200 block of Raceway Road that escalated when one of the men grabbed a sword, prompting the other man to also brandish a sword.Rondeau was being held on an attempted murder charge stemming from the stabbing of Adolf Stegbauer.

Also see post for dear Franziska Stegbauer here.

Lisa Martin-Simeri

Sad news spreads over Simeri double homicide

April 18, 2010

The autopsy results from a New Carlisle couple found dead at their home this weekend indicate a homicide-suicide.

That's the word from St. Joseph County coroner Charles Hurley.

Police found Lisa Simeri shot to death Saturday in the front yard of their house in the 55000 block of Nature View Drive. On Monday officials ruled her death a homicide.

Police found Lisa's husband Nick Simeri inside the home with a gunshot wound to the head. Hurley told FOX 28 the evidence indicates the wound was self-inflicted. Nick was the owner of Simeri's Old Town Tap, on South Bend's west side. That bar is closed until further notice.

---------------------------------

Previously posted on FOX28.com

The Simeris were well known in Michiana. Their death was shocking news to people who knew them and those who live nearby the Simeri's Old Town Tap. It seems as if everyone is still trying to piece together what exactly happened Saturday evening. Many woke up Sunday morning confused, surprised, and saddened.

"I walk the blocks and I always go by there," said neighbor Ferneshia Guiden.

But on Saturday night and Sunday South Bend's Ferneshia Guiden saw a strange sight. Simeri's Old Town Tap is closed indefinitely pending investigation.

"It's a shocker to be honest," said neighbor Delshaune Cotton.

Saturday evening police found 50-year-old Nicholas Simeri and his wife 49-year-old Lisa Martin-Simeri both shot to death in their New Carlisle home. Nicholas owned this bar on South Bend's west side.

"You would never think anything like that would take place," said Ferneshia.

Guiden and her nephew Delshaune Cotton both live just blocks away from the bar. A place that Cotton says was very popular.

"It's packed I see a lot of people at the door," said Cotton.

Instead of long lines, the bar is now empty. But those who knew the Simeri's won't let the family suffer alone. One person left flowers and a handwritten note to the family on the bar's front steps. The Simeri's Facebook page was filled with comments of disbelief and sadness from people who knew the couple or those who hung out in the bar. As the news travels, so does the sorrow.

"It's quiet around here you don't have anything out of the ordinary around here," said Guiden.

Now, Guiden says the community will be missing a key element.

"Actually, it's part of the neighborhood," said Guiden.

A neighborhood left asking many questions, hoping police will be able to find the answers.

"Hopefully they'll get to the bottom of it and see what happened," said Cotton.

Police stress Sunday night that this is being treated as a double homicide and not as a murder-suicide because the investigation is still ongoing. The autopsy results on the couples's bodies are slated to be completed Monday.

Obituary:

Lisa Jane Martin-Simeri, 49, of New Carlisle, IN, passed away on Saturday, April 17, 2010 at her home. Lisa was born on August 22, 1960 in Louisville, KY to Jim and Vera Taylor-Skaggs. She moved to South Bend in 1984 and had lived in New Carlisle since 2002. Lisa was the Director of Operations for RLC of Michiana (Taco Bell). Survivors include her parents Jim and Vera Skaggs of Louisville, KY; four sons, Tim Martin, Daniel Martin, and Kyle Martin all of South Bend, IN and Jordan Martin of New Carlisle, IN; four sisters, Debbie (Angie) Skaggs, Terri (Doug) Uhling, Julie (Tim) Dalton, and Kim (Steve) Hardin all of Louisville, KY; and one brother, Jimmy (Deborah) Skaggs of Louisville, KY. Funeral Services will be held at 2 p.m., Thursday, April 22, 2010 in the New Carlisle Wesleyan Church. Friends may call from 2-4 & 6-8 p.m. Wednesday in the Kaniewski Funeral Home, 201 S. Filbert Street, New Carlisle, IN. Friends may also call from 1 until 2 p.m. Thursday in the New Carlisle Wesleyan Church. Lisa was a member of the Granger Community Church. She was a volunteer at the Center for the Homeless in South Bend and the St. Joseph County Fair. She enjoyed landscaping and gardening. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Martin Family Children, c/o Kaniewski Funeral Home, 3545 N. Bendix Drive, South Bend, IN 46628. To send online condolences, please visit Kaniewski.com. The family would like to ask everyone to either bring purple flowers, wear purple, etc. in honor of Lisa Martin.

Beverly Thompson

Beverly Thompson

Dyer man charged in wife's slaying

Liquor store owner, worker accused of murder

April 13, 2010

DYER | Burdened by thousands of dollars in recent gambling debts, the 61-year-old owner of a south suburban liquor store enlisted the help of an employee Friday to kill his wife in their Dyer home and make it look like a burglary, prosecutors alleged Monday.

Douglas A. Thompson, 61, of 632 Hillside Drive, and his employee Reginald Coleman, 56, of 1945 Hart St. in Dyer, were charged in the death of 62-year-old Beverly Thompson. Her daughter found Thompson dead about 6 p.m. Friday in the Hillside Drive home.

Douglas Thompson, who owns Torrence Discount Liquor and Deli in Lynwood, lost more than $62,000 at Majestic Star Casino in Gary between March 10 and Wednesday, and the investigation revealed his business is failing financially, according to a probable cause affidavit filed Monday. The daughter told police her parents lived together but argued a lot.

Police found Beverly Thompson on an upper level landing of the home in a pool of blood, with a large wound to the back of her head. Investigators said dresser drawers and closet doors were opened, but it appeared as though nothing inside was disturbed. Kitchen drawers were pulled out, but a purse and bank bag with more then $1,100 also were left untouched, according to the affidavit.

The Thompsons own the home where Coleman lives. There, police said they found bloody jeans that are the same brand, waist size and inseam as Thompson's while executing a search warrant Saturday. The jeans were at the bottom of a yard waste bag, along with socks and a shirt, investigators said. Several pieces of Beverly Thompson's jewelry were found hidden within a heating and cooling unit in a pickup truck at the Hart Street property, according to the affidavit.

Inside Coleman's residence, a T-shirt hung over a shower rod, a pair of tan pants were inside the washing machine and a pair of tan work boots in the living room were stained and smelled strongly of bleach, investigators said. When police removed the pants from the washing machine, Coleman started to get chest pains and was taken to the hospital, where he was medically cleared, the affidavit states.

Surveillance footage from a neighbor's house shows Thompson arrived home at 3:20 p.m. Friday and his wife arrived home about 25 minutes later, police said. At 4:32 p.m. Douglas Thompson was seen driving away from the residence, according the affidavit.

The daughter told police she last spoke to her mother by cell phone about 3:30 p.m.

The Lake County coroner's office said Beverly Thompson died of blunt force trauma to the head. The cause of death was ruled a homicide.

The couple had been married more than 40 years.

Caleb Lynch

Caleb Lynch

Two Kids Dead, Mother's Fiance Arrested in Overnight Fire

Reported by: Web Producer

Saturday, April 10 2010

UPDATE: Deputies were dispatched to 10400 Fisher Rd. just before 4 AM to assist the German Township Fire Department with a fully engulfed house fire.

Neighbors told deputies Jeffrey Weisheit, his fiance Lisa Lynch and her two young children, Alyssa and Caleb, live there. Deputies found Lynch at work. She told them Weisheit and the kids should be at home. She described his vehicle, which was not at the house. Deputies searched for, but could not find, Weisheit.

A deputy with the Boone County, Kentucky Sheriff's Office saw Weisheit in Kentucky. The deputy went after him, and Weisheit sped away. Several agencies were finally able to stop him using stop sticks. Weisheit got out of the vehicle with a knife out. Officers used a taser to subdue him.

Weisheit was taken to the hospital were he was treated for injuries he got when he fell to the ground after being stunned. He is now in a hospital in Ohio.

Vanderburgh County deputies were dispatched to Boone County to talk to Weisheit. They got a warrant to search his vehicle. Firefighters, deputies, representatives of the state fire marshal's office, EFD's arson unit and Ohio Valley Search and Rescue spent the day searching of the burned home. They found the bodies of the two badly burned children.

The bodies have been taken to the Vanderburgh County Coroner's Office for autopsy and identification. The initial evidence shows that the fire was intentionally set. And, during an interview with deputies, Weisheit indicated he was the one who set it. He also indicated he knew the kids were there at the time.

Weisheit is being charged with two counts of murder and one count of arson. He'll face additional charges in Kentucky for trying to run from law enforcement.

The sheriff's office is working to have him extradited back to Vanderburgh County as quickly as possible.

PREVIOUS: Dispatchers say a fire broke out before dawn at 10400 Fischer Rd. in northern Vanderburgh County. The entire house was destroyed. Officials say two people living there have not been found. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Sheriff Eric Williams says the burned home is being treated as a crime scene. We'll have the latest information on FOX 7 News at 5:30.


Obituary:

Alyssa and Caleb Lynch

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Alyssa Michelle Lynch, 8, and Caleb Alexander Lynch, 5, were delivered into the arms of the Lord on April 10, 2010.

Alyssa was born on March 14, 2002, in Evansville. She attended second grade at Cynthia Heights School. Alyssa was always a "little princess" to her mom and dad. She was a smart, beautiful, caring and loving girl. She could bring sunshine to any rainy day with just a smile. Alyssa loved playing guitar, drawing, coloring and making homemade cards for everyone. She would often draw pictures that included every member of her family together. Alyssa enjoyed writing and reading, especially her beloved "Junie B. Jones" books. She would stay up late at night by her lamp just so she could read her books or write in her journal. Alyssa loved school and all her friends there, including her best friend, Bailey Brush. She adored her little brother, Caleb, since the moment he was born.

Caleb was born on Feb. 2, 2005. in Evansville. He attended Salem Pre-school. He was a sweet, tender-hearted boy who loved giving hugs. Caleb brought out the best in other people. He was so sweet, loving and handsome. Caleb liked helping Mommy cook, and although he had a sweet tooth, he always ate his veggies. He was her "love bug." Both Caleb and Alyssa enjoyed playing on the beach and in the ocean while visiting Daddy. Full of energy and life, Caleb could always make others smile and laugh. He was all boy — loving trains, trucks, planes, dirt, bugs and the outdoors. He loved riding on the 4-wheeler with his neighbor and buddy, "Big Jon." Caleb loved his sister, Alyssa, very much. Alyssa and Caleb were truly two angels on earth.

Survivors include their parents, Lisa Lynch of Evansville and Steve Lynch of Florida; grandparents, Rick and Marcia Mullen, Joseph Lynch Jr. and Leona J. Taylor; uncles, Jeffrey Mullen and Joseph Lynch III; aunt, Melinda (Chris) Smith; several cousins; and their cat, Figaro, and their chihuahua, Jose.

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 pm Thursday, April 15, at Sunset Funeral Home. Private funeral services will be held at a later date, with burial following in Sunset Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made on behalf of Alyssa and Caleb Lynch at any Old National Bank branch, where funds will be donated to Cynthia Heights School, Salem Pre-School and Holly's House.

Published in Courier Press on April 14, 2010

Also see post for dear sister Alyssa Lynch.

Alyssa Lynch

Alyssa Lynch

Man accused of killing children is back in Vanderburgh County

• By Mark Wilson
• Posted April 12, 2010 at 9:13 a.m.

The Evansville man suspected of killing two children in a fire early Saturday could face the death penalty if convicted.

Jeffrey Weisheit will appear in a Vanderburgh County court this morning to face formal charges in the fire that killed 8-year-old Alyssa Lynch and her brother, Caleb, 5. A probable cause affidavit indicates at least one the children may have been bound.

“Obviously this is a potential death penalty case,” said Vanderburgh County Prosecutor Stan Levco. “It’s something I’ll be considering in the next two to three weeks.”

Weisheit appeared in court in Hamilton County, Ohio, on Monday where he waived extradition. He was booked into the Vanderburgh County Jail at 7 p.m. Monday and placed on suicide watch. When he is arraigned this morning, he is expected to face murder and arson charges.

On Monday, neighbors sifted through the scant, charred remains of the three-bedroom house on 10040 Fischer Road for anything they could salvage for the children’s mother, Lisa Lynch, who was at work when the fire began.

Next-door neighbor Kevin Glaser assembled a memorial to the children at the corner of the property — still surrounded by yellow police tape — that included flowers, stuffed animals, rock markers with their names, candles, crosses and plastic children’s sunglasses.

Friends said Lynch and her children moved in with Weisheit about a year ago and they appeared happy. Neighbor Jon Boring said they bought a four-wheeler a week ago to ride with the children.

“They brought it over and showed it to us,” he said.

Boring said he often saw the children playing outside.

“They were great kids, full of life, inquisitive,” he said. “They were always outside on the swing set or wanting to ride on the riding lawn mower.”

Boring said he has known Weisheit for nearly 20 years and had no indication that anything was wrong.

“I saw him about 5:30 p.m. that night (Friday) and he said he was going to watch a movie with the kids,” he said.

Alyssa Lynch was a second-grader at Cynthia Heights Elementary School in northern Vanderburgh County. The Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. crisis team of local counselors was at the school Monday, meeting with pupils who want to talk about their emotions.

About 12 children have thus far met with members of the counseling team, and “teachers have done a great job working with students in the classroom,” said Marsha Jackson, EVSC director of communications.

Several children at Cynthia Heights “understand (Alyssa) is not there, but they don’t understand the permanence,” Jackson said.

Weisheit, son of retired Evansville Police Department Lt. Bert Weisheit and a member of Laborers Local 561, bought the house in June 2008. Until March 25, he worked as a contract laborer for Industrial Contractors Inc. at a job at SABIC Innovative Plastics in Mount Vernon, Ind., said Denny Quinn, president of Industrial Contractors.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Weisheit was supposed to watch the children while Lynch was at work from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m., and then take them to Lynch’s parents house so he could go to work.

When deputies arriving at the fire scene realized that had not occurred and that Weisheit and his car were missing, they were able to locate it in Boone County, Ky., after Lynch called its OnStar emergency assistance service.

Weisheit was stopped by police in Kenton County, Ky., on Saturday after a chase.

The children’s bodies were found inside the house. An autopsy has indicated they died of smoke inhalation, according to the Vanderburgh County Coroner’s office, indicating that they were alive when the fire was set.

One of the children was found in a bedroom with two burned flares found near or under the body, according to the affidavit, and duct tape was also found that “may be evidence that the person had been bound in some fashion with the duct tape.”

Detective Randy Chapman of the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office interviewed Weisheit at University Hospital in Cincinnati. According to the affidavit, Weisheit said he had planned to leave the house a week before and that he did not want to take the “kids” with him.

Weisheit consistently stated he did not remember what happened to the children, according to the affidavit, but when asked if he set the fire, “Weisheit indicated that he had in fact set the fire.”

Weisheit also indicated he had not been drinking or taking drugs, according to the affidavit. Weisheit then ended the interview by indicating he wanted a lawyer.

Chapman worked with northern Kentucky police to get a search warrant for Weisheit’s car and a suitcase visible inside it.

Duct tape was also observed in the vehicle, according to the affidavit.

Weisheit was arrested after he confronted authorities and had to be stopped with a stun gun. He was taken to St. Elizabeth Hospital in Edgewood, Ky., before being transferred to University Hospital.

He still faces two counts of attempted murder on a police officer in Erlanger, Ky.

Kenton County Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Sanders said if Weisheit receives anything less than the death penalty from the Indiana case, he will be brought back to Kentucky to face attempted murder charges.

Staff writers Lydia X. McCoy and John Martin and the Kentucky Enquirer contributed to this report.

Also see the obituary for both children and the post for dear brother Caleb Lynch here.

Jessica Berg

Jessica Berg

Victim sought restraining order day before slaying

April 10, 2010

By Daniel Human, Kokomo Tribune staff writer

Kokomo — One of the women found dead Friday in a Courtland Avenue home placed a restraining order the day before against the man who police arrested in connection with the triple homicide investigation.

Lt. Don Whitehead, a spokesman for the Kokomo Police Department, confirmed this afternoon he was aware of the restraining order, but he had no further details.

According to online court records, Jessica Berg, 28, Gas City, filed on Thursday a petition for an order of protection against Jeremy M. Blanchard, 30, Gas City.

Berg, along with her mother, Rebecca Berg, 57, and David McPike, 62, were found dead Friday morning in McPike’s home in the 1500 block of Courtland Avenue.

Kokomo police sent out a nationwide announcement that the department was looking for Blanchard as a “person of interest” in the investigation. Kentucky State Police arrested him in London, Ky., later that night.

Whitehead would not comment on Blanchard’s association with any of the victims.

The Howard County coroner was conducting an autopsy of the victims this afternoon. Results likely won’t be available until early Sunday, Whitehead said.

Also see posts for Rebecca Berg and David McPike.

David McPike

David McPike

Victims Identified In Kokomo Triple Slaying

Police Release New Information In Killings

POSTED: 1:47 pm EDT April 10, 2010

KOKOMO, Ind. -- The identities of three people who were found slain in a Kokomo home on Friday morning were released on Saturday as police provided some additional details of the investigation.

The bodies of David McPike, 62, of Kokomo, Rebecca Berg, 57, and Jessica Berg, 28, both of Gas City, were found in a home in the 1500 block of South Courtland Avenue.Kokomo police Lt. Don Whitehead said Rebecca and Jessica were in Kokomo to attend a family member’s funeral and had spent the night in McPike’s home.

The bodies were found by someone who came to pick the three victims up for the funeral, police said. Jeremy Blanchard, 30, of Gas City, who police called a person of interest in the case, was taken into custody in London, Ky., on Friday night.

Police did not release information about how the victims died, but an autopsy was being conducted on Saturday, with results expected on Sunday. The bodies were found in different rooms of the home.

Blanchard was held on warrants for a probation violation and intimidation, but he was not arrested in connection with the slayings. According to Indiana Department of Correction records, Blanchard served four years in prison for a battery conviction in 1996, and was sentenced to 16 years in prison for several counts of attempted burglary and burglary in 2000. He was released in September 2009.

Neighbors told 6News that McPike had lived in the home for quite some time, and had recently retired."(He was a) super nice guy. Something you wouldn't expect to happen to him," said neighbor Lee Newcome.

Blanchard was the ex-boyfriend of Jessica Berg, officials said. A restraining order had been filed against him on Thursday in Grant County. Police asked anyone with information about the case to call Kokomo police at 765-456-7017 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.


Also see posts for Jessica Berg and Rebecca Berg.

Rebecca Berg

Three Bodies Found Inside Kokomo Home

A person of interest in connection with a triple homicide in Kokomo was picked up late Friday in Kentucky.

Heather MacWilliams, Fox59.com

4:17 PM EDT, April 9, 2010

KOKOMO, IN - UPDATE: 30 year-old Jeremy Blanchard of Gas City, Indiana was picked up late Friday in London, Kentucky.

Police in Kokomo are investigating a triple homicide at 1523 South Courtland Street.

A family member found the bodies of a man and two women early Friday morning. The family member was on the way to a funeral and had arrived at the home to pick up the three victims.

Kokomo Police Saturday identified the victims as 62-year-old David McPike, 57-year-old Rebecca Berg, and 28-year-old Jessica Berg.

Rebecca Berg and her daughter Jessica had come to Kokomo from Gas City to attend a family member's funeral and were spending the night at Mr. McPike's residence on Thursday.

Obituary:

April 14, 2010

Rebecca S. Berg

Aug. 28, 1952 - April 9, 2010

— Rebecca S. Berg, 57, Gas City, died on Friday, April 9, 2010, in Kokomo. Ms. Berg was born in Kokomo on Aug. 28, 1952, to the late Wilfred Eric and Charline (Mills) Harvey.

She was a 1970 graduate of Haworth High School and received a completion certificate from business school. Ms. Berg lived in Grant County for the past 30 years and worked in the radiology department for Marion General Hospital. She was passionate about exercise and loved dogs, especially her golden retriever, Truman. In her leisure time, she enjoyed spending time with her fiance, David McPike.

She is survived by son, Eric P. (Mary Condes) Berg, West Lafayette; grandson, Alexander J. Fritch; and brother, Randy Lee (Tia) Harvey, Fort Wayne.

In addition to her parents, Ms. Berg was preceded in death by her daughter, Jessica A. Berg, and her fiance, David McPike.

Services are 3 p.m. Saturday at Owen-Weilert-Duncan Funeral Home, Gas City Chapel, 200 N. 7th St., with Pastor Bill Campbell officiating. Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Riverside Cemetery, Gas City.

Friends may leave online condolences for the family at www.owenweilertduncan.com.

Also see posts for Jessica Berg and David McPike.

Nicole Scheiber

Nicole Scheiber

Murder suicide ruled in Roanoke deaths

Updated: Friday, 10 Apr 2009, 10:35 PM EDT
Published : Thursday, 09 Apr 2009, 4:17 PM EDT

by Matt McCutcheon

ROANOKE, Ind. (WANE) - According to the Huntington County Sheriff's Department, two bodies were found inside a mobile home park in Roanoke late Thursday morning. It's a story NewsChannel 15 first broke on First at Five.

Around 11:30 am, the Roanoke Town Marshal was called to the Castle Hill Mobile Home Park at 15 Duke Boulevard for a welfare check on the residents.

Inside, police found the bodies of 26 year old Jeremy Stroh and 25 year old Nicole Scheiber. Stroh apparently shot Scheiber multiple times before turning the gun on himself.

The coroner says when Scheiber didn't show up for work, her employer called police.

There's no evidence that anyone else was involved.

Nicole's obituary here.

Cynthia Achenbach

Cynthia Achenbach

Man Killed Wife In Driveway

Kids In House At Time; Suspect Surrenders After 2-Hour Standoff

POSTED: 2:32 pm EDT April 23, 2008

ANDERSON, Ind. -- A man fatally shot his wife in his driveway while their children were nearby Wednesday, then engaged in a two-hour standoff with police at his Anderson home before surrendering, authorities said.

Investigators believe Michael Achenbach shot Cynthia Achenbach, 24, at about 12:30 p.m. outside his house in the 2000 block of Charles Street on Anderson's southeast side, authorities said.Someone called police, and officers found the woman's body in the driveway. She was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead, police said.

Michael Achenbach's mother and brother and the couple's two children -- one of whom is 1 year old -- were at the home when the shooting happened, police said. His relatives took the children from the house after the shooting, police said.Officers surrounded the house, in which Michael Achenbach, 34, stayed alone for two hours, armed with a shotgun, authorities said.

Police were able to talk to Michael Achenbach by phone, and at about 2:55 p.m., he exited the house and lay down on the front lawn. Video from 6News' helicopter shows officers marching to the lawn and handcuffing him before leading him to a police car."He was on the line with our hostage negotiator right up until the point where he handcuffed him and put him under arrest," Anderson police Detective Joel Sandefur told 6News' Jennifer Carmack.

Michael Achenbach

Information on the other child's age wasn't immediately available.The shooting came more than two months after Michael Achenbach was arrested on suspicion of cutting his wife at Mounds Mall during an argument over a cell phone.

She had received a protective order against him last month and was not living at the Charles Street house when she was shot, police said.Michael Achenbach was charged with criminal confinement and battery in connection with the Feb. 8 incident and was awaiting a resolution to that case.

Achenbach was being held Wednesday evening in the Madison County jail on a murder charge, authorities said.