Joseph Snow

Man suspected in Parke Co. murder arrested

Aug 14, 2011 8:43 PM EDT

PARKE COUNTY - Police in western Indiana are investigating a homicide early Saturday morning.  Jeremy Musall was arrested on preliminary charges of Murder, Rape, Criminal Confinement, and Intimidation.

Police say Musall broke into the home of Joseph Snow and a woman in her mid-20's around 1:30 a.m. near Rocky Fork Lake in southeastern Parke County. Musall reportedly killed Snow, then took the body and the female resident's 20-month-old child into his vehicle, making the woman follow him into Putnam County.

Parke County Sheriff Mike Eslinger told television station WTWO in Terre Haute that police believe the woman found a cell phone and called police. Deputies pursued Musall, but he eluded arrest.

Working on a tip from the woman that Musall had family in the Cloverdale area, police located the suspect at his mother's home and arrested him. Snow's body was recovered in another part of Putnam County.

WTWO says the child was not harmed and that police believe Musall was a jealous former boyfriend of the woman.

UPDATE:

PARKE COUNTY, Ind. (WTHI) - Saturday's murder case in Parke County has been resolved and the suspect is behind bars.

Saturday night the details were just beginning to come out from the murder. Saturday News 10 went to the crime scene and spoke with officials in Parke County.  The violent scene began at 5639 South one-thousand County Road East. Police say at that home, Jeremy Musall murdered Joseph Snow.

They also say during the altercation Musall also raped a woman inside the home. He then took Snow's body and the woman's twenty month old little girl and drove towards Putnam County.  Police said the woman called police while following Musall and gave them directions to his destination.

Police from Parke and Putnam counties caught up to Musall and arrested him.  The twenty month old child was not harmed and was returned to her mother.  The Parke county sheriff's office says the cooperation with the other law enforcement teams was crucial in catching Musall.

"I think everybody worked well together and obviously right at two hours we had him in custody. We’re very pleased that the twenty-month old was unharmed It could have gotten even worse. We're very grateful it ended the way it did,” Parke County Chief Deputy Bill Todd said.

The sheriff's office said they're charging Musall with Murder, Rape, Criminal confinement, and intimidation.  We're told those charges could change as the investigation continues.

Trisha Cottrell

Trisha Cottrell

Suspect In Triple Slaying: Wife 'Got What She Deserved'

POSTED: 6:01 pm EST November 17, 2005

ROCKVILLE, Ind. -- A man charged with killing his wife and his two stepdaughters said to reporters Thursday that his spouse "got what she deserved."Chad A. Cottrell's comment came as officers led him into a courthouse, where a hearing was held over prosecutors' intention of filing for the death penalty in the case, RTV6's Jeremy Brilliant reported.

Prosecutors allege that Cottrell, 35, killed his wife, Trisha Cottrell, 29, and her daughters, Brittany Williams, 12, and Victoria Williams, 10, in late October after he molested the girls. The three were found shot to death in their Rockville-area home.

Video: Hear Man's Comments
Previous Slideshow: Slain Mother, Daughters Laid To Rest
Previous Slideshow: Man Sought After Wife, Stepdaughters Found Dead

As he exited a police vehicle that brought him to the courthouse Thursday, Cottrell called his wife a name that RTV6 chose not to reveal.Seconds later, after someone asked him whether he deserved the death penalty, he said, "She got what she deserved."Cottrell faces murder charges.

In court documents, prosecutors listed the following aggravating factors that they say support their pursuit of the death penalty for Cottrell: that he committed more than one murder; that one victim was under the age of 12; and that he killed his stepdaughters after molesting both of them.

Parke County Sheriff Charles Bollinger said Thursday that investigators have physical evidence that Cottrell molested the girls.During a preliminary court hearing two weeks ago, authorities said Cottrell shot the three and then told a 6-year-old boy who overheard the noise that he had shot three deer.The unidentified boy told police that Brittany and Cottrell were arguing before the shootings, according to a probable cause affidavit signed by Bollinger.

Cottrell was arrested in central Minnesota Nov. 1 after he failed to pay for fuel at a service station and was chased by police.

Previous Stories:

• November 11, 2005: Prosecutor Seeks Death Penalty In Triple-Slaying
• November 5, 2005: Triple-Homicide Victims Laid To Rest
• November 3, 2005: Authorities: Triple-Homicide Suspect Lied To Boy About Shootings
• November 3, 2005: Father Of Slain Girls Speaks Out
• November 2, 2005: Authorities Escort Triple-Murder Suspect Back To Indiana
• November 1, 2005: Police: Suspect Held Gun To Own Head Before Surrendering
• November 1, 2005: Police: Child Survived Attack That Killed Mother, Daughters
• November 1, 2005: Man Sought After Wife, Stepdaughters Found Dead

Also see posts for dear daughters Brittany Williams and Victoria Williams.

Brittany Williams

Brittany Williams

Authorities: Triple-Homicide Suspect Lied To Boy About Shootings

Man Told Child He Shot Deer, Court Records Say

POSTED: 7:42 pm EST November 3, 2005

ROCKVILLE, Ind. -- A man charged with killing his wife and two stepdaughters told a boy who overheard the shootings that he had shot three deer, authorities said Thursday. A judge entered not-guilty pleas for Chad Cottrell, 35, during the rural Rockville man's initial court appearance on three murder charges Thursday. Cottrell was captured Tuesday in central Minnesota and was returned to Indiana on Wednesday. Killed in the shootings Saturday night were Trisha Cottrell, 29, and her daughters Brittany Williams, 12, and Victoria "Tori" Williams, 10.
Authorities released a probable cause affidavit signed by Sheriff Charles Bollinger that quoted an unidentified, 6-year-old juvenile who was present at the home during the shootings late Saturday. The child said Cottrell was arguing with Brittany "when he heard multiple gunshots in the residence. Chad Cottrell then told the juvenile he had just shot three deer."

Bollinger has said separately that a "very young boy" was at the home around the time that the slayings occurred but was not harmed, and Cottrell took the boy to stay with a relative. The affidavit also said Cottrell on Monday had given a friend a phone message that said he had "reached the end of my dusty trail."

"Tell my family that I love them -- what's left of them," Cottrell said in the message, according to the affidavit. Parke County prosecutor Steve Cvengros on Thursday said Cottrell qualified for the death penalty but that he would consult with the families of the victims before deciding whether to file capital charges. Each of the murder charges also carries prison sentences of 45 years to 65 years.

The girls' father, Ryan Williams, said he favored the death penalty. "I feel lost. My daughters are dead and I'm lost. I know that the world's going to keep turning and the sun's going to come up, but it's going to turn a little slower and the sun's not going to be as bright," Williams said at a news conference.

Judge Sam Swaim ordered Cottrell held without bond in the Parke County Jail and appointed attorney Jessie Cook to represent him. The sheriff's affidavit said the bodies were discovered Monday morning by the girls' grandmother, Tricia Parker, and that the victims all appeared to have died from gunshot wounds. Cottrell was arrested in Minnesota on Tuesday after not paying for fuel at a service station and being chased by police.

Williams, during the news conference with Cvengros, recalled his slain daughters with fondness. "Brittany was really rambunctious. She was just so much into dresses and jewelry. And Tori, we called her Tori-bear, because when she hugged you she kind of growled," Williams said. The girls' stepsister, 13-year-old Ambreena Adams, wiped away tears as she also spoke at the news conference. "If you have a brother or sister, show them that you love them and that you need them and that you can't live without them, because I don't know how I'm going to live without my sisters," she said.


Also see posts for dear mother Trisha Cottrell and sister Victoria Williams.

Victoria WIlliams

Victoria Williams

Defendant in triple murder asks for death penalty

Posted: Mar 12, 2009 10:27 PM EDT

Chris Proffitt/Eyewitness News

Noblesville - A Parke County man accused of three murders told a judge he wants to die for his crimes Friday.

Chad Cottrell admitted in court that he murdered his wife and two young stepdaughters. The judge accepted his guilty plea and could sentence him to death next month.

Trisha Cottrell, 29, and her daughters, 12-year-old Brittany and 10-year-old Victoria Williams were shot to death in their Rockville home in October 2005.

"There's evil out there in the world and I think that's identified in the person of Chad Cottrell," said Rick Zaikovsky, Trisha's father and the girls' grandfather.

The victims' family says that after murdering his wife and stepdaughters, Cottrell calmly played a round of golf, then fled to Minnesota. He was captured there and brought back to Indiana, where prosecutors sought the death penalty. Citing pre-trial publicity, Cottrell's attorneys received a change of venue from Parke County to Hamilton County, where his trial was set for this month.

While awaiting trial, Cottrell wrote a letter to the judge in the case, admitting his guilt, waiving his right to a trial and asking for the death penalty. After an evaluation by two psychiatrists, who determined Cottrell was competent to enter a guilty plea, the judge accepted the plea and scheduled sentencing in late April.

Cottrell's attorney, Eric Koselke, told Eyewitness News he would comment when the case is over. His client admitted in court to murdering his wife and stepdaughters after trying to molest the two girls. The judge in the case could impose the death penalty, life without parole or a term of years.

"This is not a day of celebration, but it is a day of justice for my daughter Trisha and granddaughters Brittany and Tory," Zaikovsky said.

Saying he wants to die by lethal injection, Cottrell may get his wish. The sentencing hearing is April 29 and could last 2-3 days. The judge denied Cottrell's request to return to the Parke County Jail.

Also see posts for dear mother Trisha Cottrell and sister Brittany Williams.