Robin L. Everitt

Indiana State Police arrest stepson in double shooting

November 9, 2009

An argument among family members ended with one man dead and another injured following a double shooting Sunday three miles outside of Austin, Indiana.

Family members, who did not want to be interviewed, stood at the edge of a dark, desolate driveway Sunday evening as crime scene investigators combed over the home in the 3700 block of Bogardus Road, located just east of the city of Austin, Indiana.

Indiana State Police say 59-year old Robin L. Everitt was shot and killed following an argument with his stepson, Jason Uhlenbrock, 29. Neighbors say Uhlenbrock went to the home to visit his mother and Everitt but became angry after the two apparently told him he could not go deer hunting.

Investigators with Indiana State Police would not confirm those details.

During altercation, another man, whose identity could not be verified, was also shot in the abdomen, according to Sgt. Jerry Goodin, a spokesman for Indiana State Police Post in Sellersburg. That man, described as a friend of Everitt, was later flown to University Hospital in Louisville where he remained in stable condition late Sunday.

Uhlenbrock remains in the Scott County Jail charged with murder and attempted murder.

Also:

A heartbroken southern Indiana family wants the public to know what really happened this weekend when a man in Austin, Indiana was killed.

59-year-old Robin Everitt was shot to death Sunday afternoon in his home in Scott County.

The man's stepson is charged with the crime but the suspect's family says it’s an act of violence that goes much deeper than the police investigation.

A woman lost her husband to a gunshot wound and now her son is charged with killing him.

A close family friend says they don't know why this happened but they have an idea about what triggered the alleged act of violence.

Those who know 29-year-old Jason Uhlenbrock say this isn't the man they love.

They say his mug shot illustrates his state of mind. They tell WHAS11 that he is bi-polar and struggled with the illness for years.

They believe he was on his medication when he allegedly shot and killed his stepfather Robin Everitt and wounded Everitt’s friend at their home in Austin.

“The most difficult thing with bipolar disorder is accepting that you have the disorder it takes 10 to 30 years sometimes before they really accept it and do something about it,” said a psychiatrist who didn't treat Uhlenbrock but does treat those with bi-polar disorder.

He tells us what happens to the mind when those who are bi-polar stop taking their medication.

“It can cause impulsivity become very short tempered and explosive and on edge.”

Those who suffer from bi-polar disorder say it’s not always easy taking medication because your mind isn't working at a rapid pace.

“The medication brings you to a normal level but you miss that feeling because it helps you accomplish things it helps you focus on intricate things that you can get done very rapidly and you miss that.”

Molly Clouse also tells me she didn't like the public stigma that came from taking medication for a mental illness.

“If we don't have hope that life will get better it’s hard to stay on our medications.” Uhlenbrock's family and friends didn't want to be interviewed for this story but say they hope it helps others to think twice about not taking their medication.

National statistics show that 1 in 5 adults have a diagnosable mental illness.

The courts will have to decide if Uhlenbrock is mentally competent to stand trial.

Indiana State Police say that when the shooting happened Monrday there didn't appear to be any signs of an argument.

Jon David

Police Issue Warrant for Murder Suspect's Arrest

November 21, 2009

POSEY CO., IN - Investigators have issued a murder warrant for the arrest of 39-year-old Lee Kershaw of Mount Vernon Ill. in connection with the shooting death of 43-year-old Jon David early Saturday morning at 420 Coronado Drive, Mt. Vernon, Ind. Kershaw is wanted on charges of murder, attempted murder and burglary resulting in bodily injury.

According to an affidavit of probable cause, Kershaw's ex-wife, Lisa Kershaw, told police that sometime before 4:50 a.m. a man she believed to be her ex-husband entered the master bedroom of her home where she and David were sleeping and fired multiple rounds. Fearing for her life she made her way into the nearby bathroom where the intruder proceeded to assault her with the stock of the weapon.

In the affidavit she begged for her life as attacker struck her in the face, leg and abdomen before leaving residence. Lee Kershaw's 17-year-old biological son was home during the attack and ran across the street to a neighbor's house for help.

According to the affidavit, Kershaw's son told police that a few weeks prior Kershaw said that he fantasized about killing David and then killing himself. Lisa filed for divorced from Lee on September 14, 2009. The divorce was finalized November 16th.

In the affidavit, investigators obtained Kershaw's bank records that showed a $200 ATM withdrawal around 6:15 a.m. that morning at an Evansville bank on West Franklin Street. Another withdrawal attempt was made for $400 at 8:15 a.m. in Marston, Missouri.

The affidavit also states that Kershaw called his mother Saturday afternoon from an unknown cell phone to say he was sorry, that he loved her and his brother and that he would never see them again. He told her that he shot Lisa's boyfriend but did not know if he killed him.

David was pronounced dead at the scene after suffering three gunshot wounds, once in the torso, another in the leg and a through-and-through injury to the hand. ISP crime lab stated that there were four 7.62 caliber rounds found in the wall and bed of the residence.

John C. Hall

John C. Hall

Man arrested for murder, setting fire

November 11, 2009

Crawfordsville - A man has been arrested for killing another man and setting him on fire.

Justin Morris, 25, was arrested for killing his mother's boyfriend, 52-year-old John Hall in her home. He reportedly the house on fire to try to cover up the crime at 1502 Payton Street Friday morning. Investigators were called to the scene after firefighters discovered Hall's body inside the burned house.

"There was something in my gut and my heart that said, 'Justin did it'," said neighbor Hailey Graves.

Graves says she knows Morris, but is still trying to figure out why he killed Hall.

"Just anger. Rage, maybe?" she said.

"There was an argument between Mr. Morris and Mr. Hall and apparently it became physical and as a result, there was some head trauma to Mr. Hall," said Crawfordsville Police Chief Kurt Knecht.

Police say Morris attacked Hall and then took him into the front bedroom of the house.

"At that point, the bedroom was intentionally set on fire," said Knecht.

Hall had left his mother's house about a month ago and he found refuge across the street.

"I was shocked. I was surprised. I was disappointed," said Graves.

People who know the family say there were no obvious signals that Morris might snap.

"To my understanding, he thought that John was a good choice for his mother," said Graves.

The investigation is still ongoing and police are hopeful more questions will be answered in the coming days.

"He just did it. I guess no one really knows," Graves said. "The only truth, Justin knows. Justin knows the truth."

Tonya Earley

Ex-boyfriend shot woman in front of their kids, then killed himself

November 10, 2009

Police said a woman was fatally shot by her ex-boyfriend Tuesday at a Michigan City area school bus stop while their children looked on.

About 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, police were called to LaPorte County Road 1000 North and County Road 425 West, just east of Michigan City, where officers found 30-year-old Tonya Earley dead from a single gunshot, police said. The shot was fired either as the bus was pulling up or just seconds prior to the bus arriving.

LaPorte County Sheriff Mike Mollenhauer said Earley's body was found lying in the street beside her car and the children were still in the vehicle when she was shot.

"That's something they're going to remember the rest of their lives. It's a very unfortunate situation," Mollenhauer said.

About 10 minutes later, police found her ex-boyfriend -- 41-year-old David Streeting -- dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in a vehicle about a half-mile north from where Earley was shot, police said.

Investigators also learned that an acquaintance of Earley was with her at the time of the shooting and he fled when she was shot. Police said he suffered an injury while leaving the scene of the shooting. Police did not release his name, the type of injury he suffered, his condition or how he knew Earley.

Earley and Streeting, both of LaPorte County, were the biological parents of the children, ages 8 and 10, police said.

Michele Pokuta, who lives on County Road 1000 North, was driving to her job in New Buffalo, Mich., and saw the body at the crime scene. She said police had not arrived yet and Earley was lying on her back with one arm draped over her chest.

The school bus was stopped and the driver was on his cell phone.

"I was pretty shaken up. At first, I couldn't think straight," Pokuta said.

Because the shooter already had fled the scene when officers arrived, authorities placed Springfield Elementary School -- two miles away -- under a lockdown, police said.

Mollenhauer said Earley lived at Green Acres Trailer Park and drove a short distance to her parents' home, where the couple's children were residing. She picked them up and took them to the bus stop to see them off to school.

Because the couple used to live together, Mollenhauer said Streeting likely knew exactly when to show up at the bus stop.

"When she pulled up, he pulled up," Mollenhauer said.

According to court records, a hearing was held for the couple Sept. 9 and an order was issued governing child visitation and child support.

Mollenhauer said preliminary information from the investigation indicates there was a protective order against Streeting.

Michigan City school officials did not return calls regarding the lockdown or students who might have been of the school bus.

Deneisha Watford

Deneisha Watford

Slain Woman's Boyfriend Arrested In Other Attack

Robert Sarver Person Of Interest In Girlfriend's Killing

November 20, 2009

INDIANAPOLIS -- The boyfriend of a woman found strangled to death in her home was arrested Friday in an attack on another woman.

Robert Sarver, 32, voluntarily talked with police Friday about the death of his girlfriend, Deneisha Watford, 28, who was killed sometime Wednesday in her home at 1831 Bauer Road, said Sgt. Paul Thompson.

Police said Sarver is considered a person of interest in the Watford's death, but he was arrested in connection with an attack on a different woman two weeks ago.

Investigators said Sarver choked and beat Tiesha Williams during an argument.

He was preliminarily charged with strangulation, criminal confinement, domestic battery, battery and being a serious violent felon in possession of a firearm in that case.

"We would have had him come in eventually, so he just came in on his own to talk about it but, he has not given us any information in regard to the Watford investigation," Thompson said.

Sarver's mug shot was not released Friday because Thompson said identification by witnesses in Watford's death was still ongoing.

Neighbors told 6News that they saw Watford with a man outside her home shortly before her death.

Also:

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Metro Police said a 28-year-old woman found dead in her east side home Wednesday night was strangled.

Officers have arrested Deneisha Watford's boyfriend, 32-year-old Robert Sarver, on unrelated charges. He's facing several charges for allegedly choking an ex-girlfriend several weeks ago. She survived.

At first, police didn't think Watson's the death was a homicide, they considered it a death investigation.

In the 911 call, Watford's mother can be heard telling dispatchers, "I just came to pick up my grandbaby and my daughter. I heard she fell inside and I see my grandbaby inside and my daughter's on the floor."

The dispatcher asked Watford's mother if she was able to get inside the house. Watford's mother replied, "Yes, yes! Can you please hurry?"

Police said the fire department was first to arrive at Watford's home. They found her lying on the ground inside and tried to revive her. She was pronounced dead about 30 minutes later.

Neighbors said Watford and her daughter have only lived in the house for a few months.

"We just don't know how to take it in this neighborhood. Everybody's kind of afraid," said neighbor Larry Hampton.

Watford's mother told 24-Hour News 8 she didn't want to say anything until detectives make an arrest in her daughter's killing. Right now, Watford's boyfriend is a person of interest in the investigation.

Alexis Oesterle

 Alexis Oesterle

Teenage Victim's Step-Father Arrested In Connection with Her Death

November 4, 2009

ROCKPORT, IN - Indiana State Police investigators have ruled a 15-year-old Rockport, Indiana girl's death murder. And her step father is jailed Wednesday, charged with the crime.

Friends and those who knew her describe 15-year-old Alexis Oesterle as a fun-loving, beautiful young girl.  Wearing t-shirts and displaying signs in her memory, they gathered at a Wednesday afternoon news conference to confirm what many already knew.

"State Police Investigators arrested Ryan Lee Shelby for the murder of his step-daughter, Alexis Oesterle," said ISP Sergeant Chad Dick." The preliminary cause of death is loss of blood from a wound in Alexis' neck area."

"She was my best friend," Sabrina Winkler says.

Winkler and other friends who spent Sunday afternoon with Oesterle say she seemed extremely happy, and never suspected what would happen after saying goodbye to her that night.

"Her and him didn't get along. He seemed really nice but I had a weird feeling when I was around him," Winkler tells NEWS 25.

A neighborhood friend says he didn't suspect a thing

"He was always nice to me. They were always really quiet as a family. We didn't know much of them," says neighbor, Hunter Wetzel.

Investigators say Shelby is currently their only suspect and will not elaborate on a motive.

They're crediting the arrest to Deputy Jason Dunsworth, who says he conducted a full search because something in the house just didn't seem right the night Shelby reported Oesterle missing.

"Due to his extra steps of investigating the full residence, the body was discovered. Had he not done that, probably, the body would have been disposed of," Spencer County Prosecutor Dan Wilkinson says.

The search turned out to be the key to the investigation and the news that broke the hearts of Alexis Oesterle's friends and family.

Shelby will be arraigned in Spencer County Court Thursday at 8:30 a.m.

Investigators say that even though he is in custody, there is still more investigating to be done.

Jacob Lord

Jacob Lord

Man To Be Arraigned In 2-Year-Old's Slaying

November 2, 2009

SELLERSBURG, Ind. -- An Indiana man charged with killing his ex-girlfriend's 2-year-old son will be arraigned Monday.

Police say Jacob Lord was injured after his mother dropped him off at Hensley's apartment. Lord's mother told WLKY News the boy came home covered in bruises from head-to-toe.

Lord’s mother said Hensley told her the boy had fallen from a bed. Hensley later told the boy’s mother he fell down the stairs and hit his head on the chair.

Lord's mother said her son was napping at home when he had a seizure. She brought the toddler to Scott Memorial Hospital with serious injuries on Wednesday.  He was later taken to Kosair Children’s Hospital in Louisville, where he died Wednesday evening.

An autopsy performed Thursday in Louisville determined Lord died of an inflicted closed head injury.  Hensley, an ex-boyfriend of Lord’s mother, was arrested at home Friday afternoon in Austin, Ind. on murder and felony battery charges. He was taken to the Scott County Jail and is awaiting his first court appearance.

"He seemed nice in front of everybody else, but every time my grandson would come over and stay with him by himself he always got hurt,” said Lord’s grandmother Joyce Bowling.

The case is still under investigation.

"As we go through this investigation, if we find anybody else that bears responsibility to the crime that's happened to this child, then we're going to be presenting to those charges to the prosecutor's office and we're going to be arresting those people too,” said ISP Sgt. Jerry Goodin.

Denise Hudson Caraway

Bedford Woman Murdered by Husband

October 9, 2009

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

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

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

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

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

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

UPDATE:

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

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

Claudia Tierrablanca Sanchez

Man arrested in woman's stabbing death

October 1, 2009

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

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

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

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

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

Mardale Totten

Stabbing was self-defense; man ID'd

Police believe the stabbing was the result of a domestic dispute

September 28, 2009

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Christine Lindsey

Victims' names released in LaPorte County double homicide

September 19, 2009

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

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

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

Christine and Clayton Lindsey were married but separated.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Autopsies were performed Monday morning.

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

Update:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


See post for dear friend Chad Zolman here.

Chad Michael Zolman

Chad Michael Zolman

Lindsey sentenced to 75 years for murder

July 19, 2011

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Obituary:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


See post for dear friend Christine Lindsey here.

Jamison Essick

Teenager Facing Felony Charges To Undergo Examination

September 17, 2009

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

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

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

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

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

Obituary:

Jamison A. R. Essick

Dec. 11, 2008 — July 16, 2009

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

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

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

UPDATE:

Teen gets 8 years for killing baby

June 4, 2010

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

Jason Lee Joy

Woman Arrested For Man's Murder

September 3, 2009

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kathleen Vargas

Indianapolis Man Faces Murder, Rape Charges

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

August 27, 2009

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

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

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

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

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

Ayres may now be charged with Vargas' murder.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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