Devon Parsons

Devon Parsons

Two arrested for murder of 12-year-old

By Daniel Miller, WISH-TV
June 5, 2011

A 12 year-old Greensburg boy is dead. Police said Devin Parsons was murdered. The boy's mother and her boyfriend are now behind bars. It happened in the 600 block of E. Washington Street in Greensburg.

A lone teddy-bear sits outside near the home where Greensburg police say a 12 year-old Devin Parsons died Friday. Crime tape also surrounds the home where several police standing guard. Late Friday night police arrested the boy's mother, 29 year-old Tasha Parsons and her boyfriend, 30 year-old Waldo Jones. Investigators said little Devin was murdered.

"I kind of almost expected it, but definitely in awe, like wow," said Bobbie Gilland.

Gilland is Jones' sister. Gilland said she contacted authorities numerous times this year about the boy and his siblings’ safety. She told 24 Hour News 8 she alerted investigators the children inside the home were in danger.

"I told them about how he didn't allow the kids lunch; how he beat them if they missed the bus, they had to wake themselves up," Gilland said.

Gilland wasn't the only one who called police.  Stacy Damaree alerted authorities too.

"I called CPS numerous times myself, you know hoping that something would be done about these kids and now it's a shame that this had to happen this way," Damaree said.  "Even though Gilland and Damaree say they called police about what was going on inside that house, we weren't able to find anything on Tasha Parsons. However, we did find a criminal past on Waldo Jones.

According to Indiana Department of Corrections, Jones was released from prison in July of 2010.  Jones had been sentenced in August of 2009 for operating a vehicle while intoxicated with a prior conviction for OWI on his record.  "I just think something should have and could have been done," said Gilland.

Damaree said she's feels awful something like this happened.  "I hope that they wake up and realize that they are getting calls like this, this isn't no joke. This is children's lives," Damaree said.

The Decatur County Prosecutor released a statement to 24 Hour News 8.  James Rosenberry said his office anticipated filing criminal charges against Tasha Parsons Monday morning.

UPDATE:

June 15, 2011

GREENSBURG, Ind. -- Court records detail a gruesome scene in the home of a 12-year-old boy police said was beaten to death by his mother.

The Decatur County coroner ruled last week that Devin Parsons, who was found dead in his family's Greensburg home June 3, died of multiple traumatic blunt-force trauma from head to toe.

Police said his mother, Tasha Parsons, 29, admitted to using her hands, feet, a belt and a metal tray to beat her son over a period of several hours while her boyfriend, Waldo Jones Jr., watched.

Court documents released Wednesday show police found blood in nearly every room in the home, on walls, furniture and clothing.

Investigators also took into evidence an empty medicine bottle, a framed picture of Devin with broken glass and dozens of cigarette butts throughout the home.

6News' Joanna Massee spoke Wednesday to Kristi Schofner, who called 911 the day Devin was found dead.

Schofner said Jones rode his bicycle to her home and told her the boy was unresponsive, telling her different versions of what had happened to the child.

"First, he was mentioning that he might have been drowned, then he said his mom laid on him and he couldn't breathe," Schofner said.

Schofner said she only met Devin Parsons a few times.

"They never ever had their kids. Devin watched the kids (his siblings) constantly if they weren't at her dad's house," Schofner said. "He didn't even have a good childhood. He had a miserable childhood."

Jones's former friend, Rick Peetz, said he also spoke with Jones after the beating.

"He said, 'There's a little boy up there, and I don't think he's breathing.' I said, 'Oh my God,'" Peetz recounted.

Jones was charged with neglect of a dependent causing death.

Parsons, who faces a murder charge, said she beat the boy because he had hidden her pain pills and wouldn't tell her where they were.

According to court records, the Department of Child Services had previously investigated Devin's home in 2009.

Lisa A. Hankins

Lisa A. "Nettie" Hankins

Gaston Reserve Officer Kills Estranged Wife

Police say Benjamin Hankins, 36, shot and killed his wife, Lisa A. Hankins, 32, Friday morning at his house in Harrison Township

MUNCIE (June 3, 2011) - Police say a reserve officer with the Gaston Police Department shot and killed his estranged wife Friday morning during a domestic dispute in his Harrison Township home.

The victim, Lisa A. "Nettie" Hankins, 32, was pronounced dead at IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital. She suffered multiple gunshot wounds, Delaware County Coroner Scott Hahn said.

Her husband, Benjamin Allan Hankins, 36, called 911 at 7:44 a.m. to report his wife had been shot in his house, in the 5800 block of North Delaware County Road 600-W, just north of Bethel Avenue. He was taken into custody at the scene and has been preliminarily charged with murder, according to Capt. Richard Pickett with the Delaware County Sheriff's Office.

Lisa Hankins had filed for divorce last September, and the case was still pending at the time of her death, according to court records.

In a frantic call to 911 dispatchers, Benjamin Hankins reported his wife "pulled my gun on me. And then I shot back." (See update below).  Pickett on Friday night confirmed more than one weapon was found at the scene.

The police captain said the shooting occurred after Lisa Hankins had stopped at her husband's home so their two oldest children could catch the bus to Wes-Del Elementary School.  "It was during the time when kids were going to school and getting on the buses, and we're trying to find out all those details," Pickett said.

The couple's third child, who is 4, was apparently waiting outside in a car when her mother was shot.  "My wife and I were having an argument," Hankins said during one of three separate conversations with dispatchers.

Asked where his wife had been hit by gunfire, Hankins said there was a wound "right in the chest (and) there's one in the arm."  Hankins sounded panicked as a dispatcher repeatedly urged him to try to perform CPR on his wife, whom he indicated was not breathing.  "There's all kinds of blood," he said. "I... I... I can't."

Pickett said Lisa Hankins was still alive when police arrived at the scene. She was taken to the Muncie hospital, where doctors attempted a life-saving surgery, according to Coroner Hahn.

Pickett said Lisa and Benjamin Hankins were not living together at the time of the shooting. She is listed in court documents at a Muncie address.  Gaston police Cpl. James Dixon said Benjamin Hankins has been a reserve officer with his department for about three years. He declined further comment about the shooting, calling it an "open investigation."  "It's a sad day for us, it's a sad day for the family," Dixon said. "We knew their family well. They've come to all our events and things like that, so we need to let the investigation take its course."

According to Delaware Circuit Court 4 records, Lisa Hankins sued her husband for divorce last Sept. 13, saying her marriage had "suffered an irretrievable breakdown."  While the divorce suit was pending, Lisa Hankins was granted custody of the couple's three children, who range in age from 9 to 4. The couple reached an agreement in late October for Benjamin Hankins to continue to pay the family's baby-sitting expenses and "visitation shall be as the parties agree."

On Dec. 1, Benjamin Hankins requested a citation be issued against his estranged wife, claiming she "fails and refuses" to abide by that visitation agreement.  A Dec. 22 order by Delaware Circuit Court 4 Judge John Feick indicates that dispute involved the Thanksgiving holiday, and Feick specified, by the day and hour, where the children would be during the Christmas holidays.  A final hearing, at which the divorce presumably would have been granted, was set for Feb. 11, but Benjamin Hankins requested a continuance, reporting he had "just started a new job and is unable to miss work."

The hearing was reset for May 10. Lisa Hankins' attorney, Kristin Willadsen, requested a subpoena for Benjamin Hankins to provide documentation that his work schedule had in fact prevented him from attending the February hearing.  On May 10, however, both Lisa and Benjamin Hankins and their attorneys -- Willadsen and Jack Quirk, who represented Benjamin -- asked that the matter be "continued until further order."

Transcript of Hankin's 911 calls here.

UPDATE

MUNCIE -- A police report released Monday indicates the 4-year-old daughter of Lisa A. "Nettie" Hankins and her estranged husband, Benjamin Allan Hankins, listened in as her father shot and killed her mother Friday morning in his Harrison Township home.

A probable cause affidavit for Benjamin Hankins' arrest on preliminary murder charges reports the preschooler told an investigator with the Delaware County Sheriff's Office that she was outside when she overheard her father tell her mother to "lay down and die," to which her mother responded, "I'm sorry Ben, I'm sorry and I don't want to die."

The girl, who had reportedly seen Benjamin Hankins "come to the door with a gun behind his back," then listened as he shot her mother "several times" inside the house.  The document also contains several other previously unreleased details of the shooting, including Benjamin Hankins' recollection of the attack to investigators just hours after it occurred.

At 7:44 a.m. Friday, emergency dispatchers received a 911 call from Benjamin Hankins, who said he had shot his wife in his house in the 5800 block of North Delaware County Road 600-W, just north of Bethel Avenue.

When officers arrived, according to the report, they found Lisa Hankins, 32, lying on the floor in the kitchen. She was rushed to IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital, where doctors attempted a life-saving surgery before her death, according to Delaware County Coroner Scott Hahn.  Hahn said Monday he was awaiting results of Lisa Hankins' autopsy.

According to the affidavit, Benjamin Hankins, 36, told investigators Friday he had recently separated from Lisa, his wife of 10 years. Lisa Hankins had filed for divorce last September, and the case was still pending at the time of her death, according to court records.

Benjamin Hankins said the shooting occurred after Lisa Hankins had stopped at her husband's home so their two oldest children, ages 9 and 8, could catch the bus to Wes-Del Elementary School. Their youngest child, a 4-year-old daughter, was reportedly left alone in the car when an argument broke out between her parents.

In a frantic call to 911 dispatchers, Benjamin Hankins, a reserve police officer with the Gaston Police Department and employee with the Indiana Department of Corrections, claimed he shot his wife in self-defense after Lisa Hankins "pulled my gun on me. And then I shot back."

Benjamin Hankins' statements to police, according to the report, do not indicate his reasoning behind the attack, however. Police on Friday did confirm more than one weapon was found at the scene.

During the argument, Benjamin Hankins told investigators, he "went into the living room and retrieved a gun from the couch" and then "pointed the gun at Mrs. Hankins and shot her several times." Benjamin Hankins said he shot at Lisa Hankins more than once, but was unsure exactly how many times bullets struck her.

The police report also indicates a recent history of threats, in the form of emails and text messages, from Benjamin Hankins to Lisa Hankins. Kurt Walthour, an investigator with the Delaware County Sheriff's Office, would not comment Monday on the content of those threats, citing the ongoing investigation.

Walthour did note Benjamin Hankins' demeanor in his interview with investigators on Friday following the shooting.  "(Benjamin Hankins) showed little emotion," Walthour said.

Zachary Craig, a deputy prosecutor with the Delaware County Prosecutor's Office, said Monday he expects formal murder charges against Benjamin Hankins to be filed Wednesday in Delaware Circuit Court 2.

Cheryl A. Miller

Porter County Coroner Says a 52-year-old Woman and Her Estranged Husband were Found Shot to Death and Her House Burned

May 31, 2011

KOUTS, Ind. — The Porter County coroner says a 52-year-old woman and her estranged husband were found shot to death and her house was fully engulfed in flames in what appears to be a murder-suicide.

Coroner Chuck Harris says a preliminary examination indicates that Cheryl Miller and 59-year-old Frederick Miller both died of gunshot wounds. He says an autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday.

The Times of Munster and the Post-Tribune of Merrillville report that the couple's 19-year-old son escaped from the home in rural Kouts about 3 a.m. Tuesday after Frederick Miller threw a flammable device through a window in the house. The sheriff's department says the son called police and reported hearing several gunshots.

The sheriff's department says Frederick Miller was removed from the home by police in April.

Obituary

Cheryl A. (Stevens) Miller, 52, of Kouts, passed away Tuesday, May 31, 2011. She was born October 10, 1958 in Valparaiso to Ronald N. and Margaret J. (Hineline) Stevens. She was a graduate of Valparaiso High School and had been the manager at Marti's Place at Ramsey's Landing in Hebron. Cheryl enjoyed designing and making jewelry as well as a variety of other arts and crafts, and she was an avid gardener. Survivors include her son, JJ Miller of Kouts; step daughter, Layla (Jeff) Morgan of San Diego, CA; her father, Ron Stevens of Valparaiso; one sister, Leslie (Bruce) Richart of Porter; two nieces, Rebecca (Anthony) Tharp and Annette Stevens; four nephews, Jeremiah, Joshua and Ryan Richart, and Travis Stevens. She was preceded in death by her mother, Margaret Stevens. A funeral service will be held on Saturday at 11:00 AM at Kosanke Funeral Home in Kouts with Pastor Jay Birky officiating. Visitation will be Friday from 5:00 to 7:00 PM. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to the "Benefit of JJ Miller" account at DeMotte State Bank.

Alyssa Johnson

Formal Charges Filed in Baby Death Case

LaDawn Johnson is facing three charges

Wednesday, 15 Dec 2010, 10:51 AM EST

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - The Allen Co. prosecutor has filed charges against LaDawn Johnson; she's a suspect in the death of her four-week-old baby.

Prosecutor Karen Richards has filed three felony charges against Johnson: Battery, Neglect of Dependent Resulting in Death, and Neglect of Dependent Resulting in Bodily Injury.

According to the Fort Wayne Police Department, around 8:30 a.m. Thursday, officers were called to the 5700 block of Fairfield Avenue where LaDawn Depree Johnson,25, arrived with her deceased infant.

One-month-old Alyssa Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene by medical personnel.

Police arrested LaDawn Johnson later that day.

After conducting an autopsy on the baby Thursday, the Allen County Coroner reported the child died as a result of a skull fracture with subdural and subarachnoid hemorrhage, or bleeding around the brain.

Police said a home in the 7900 block of Serenity Drive is also possibly related to the investigation.

Alyssa's death is Fort Wayne and Allen County's 26th homicide for 2010.

Update:

Indiana woman gets 40 years in daughter's death
Updated: May 16, 2011 3:03 PM EDT

FORT WAYNE - A northeastern Indiana woman has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for the beating death of her 4-week-old daughter.

The Journal Gazette reports that Allen County Judge John Surbeck sentenced 26-year-old LaDawn Johnson on Monday in the December death of her 29-day-old daughter, Alyssa. An autopsy found the infant died from a skull fracture and bleeding on her brain.

A jury convicted Johnson last month of battery causing death, neglect of a dependent causing death and neglect of a dependent causing injury in the child's death. During her trial, Johnson's 6-year-old son testified that he saw his mother punch the baby in the stomach repeatedly and heard her say the baby was ugly.

Rosemary Comanse

Husband Charged in Fatal Hammond Shooting

May 17, 2011

CROWN POINT | Lake County prosecutors have charged James Comanse, 48, with murder and battery in Sunday's shooting of his wife, Rosemary Comanse, "Rose."

Police were called about 3 p.m. to the 1100 block of West 177th Place in Hammond, where Rosemary Comanse, 47, was found dead from a gunshot wound.

Court documents filed Tuesday state witnesses told police James and Rosemary Comanse had been separated for about a year.

James Comanse was visiting the home Sunday, is believed to have gone up the stairs, and after about five minutes, others present at the time heard a loud boom, police said.

Police were told Comanse also struck another family member in the head with a gun before the gun could be taken away.

Police found Rosemary Comanse's body in an upstairs bedroom.

An autopsy found the woman died from a single gunshot wound to the back of the head at close range, court documents state.

Police confirmed the couple's son, James "Jimmy" Comanse Jr., pleaded guilty in 2009 to voluntary manslaughter in the death of 18-year-old Marcus Ponce.

The younger Comanse, 29, is serving a 20-year prison sentence for the crime.

Obituary

ROSEMARY COMANSE, HAMMOND, IN. Rosemary Comanse (nee Serrano), age 47, of Hammond, passed away Sunday, May 15, 2011. She is survived by four children: James R. Jr., Brian A., Erik R., and Alyssa B. Comanse; five grandchildren: Tristin, Alyze, Mariah, Jayden, and Illiana; mother, Josephine Anaya; five sisters: Yolanda, Margaret, Rita, Violet, and Inez; and nieces and nephews. Visitation will be at Fife Funeral Home, 4201 Indianapolis Blvd., East Chicago on Friday, May 20, 2011 from 4:00-8:00 p.m. Cremation to follow. Rosemary was a loving and devoted wife, mother, grandmother and sister. In lieu of flowers, donations to the family appreciated.

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.

Bobbie Jo Schaefer

Husband held in stabbing death of wife

A Fountain Square area woman is dead, her husband under arrest and their daughter injured after a fatal domestic dispute Sunday afternoon.

May 2, 2011

Indianapolis — A Fountain Square area woman is dead, her husband under arrest and their daughter injured after a fatal domestic dispute Sunday afternoon.

Bobbie Jo Schaefer, 41, was found stabbed to death inside a home in the 1200 block of Evison Street. Kenneth Schaefer, 56, was listed in serious condition with self-inflicted stab wounds. One of the couple's daughters, a 15-year-old, received superficial stab wounds reportedly suffered while trying to fight off the attack on her mother.

Family members told Fox59 News that the couple, married 23 years, returned home from church early Sunday afternoon about two hours before one of the daughters call 911. The family said there had been domestic problems recently and an area resident who passed by the home earlier Sunday agreed.

"I heard 'em arguing back and forth," said Randi Wyatt. "I'm not sure exactly what about. I do know it wasn't sounding good. I just heard him calling her some crucial names and he says he was over the crap."

The couple lived on Evison Street for 15 years. Both daughters were enrolled in charter schools and an adult son is a Marine stationed in Pensacola, Florida. Schaefer continues recovering from his wounds at Wishard Memorial Hospital.

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.

Sapphyre Putney

Sapphyre Putney

Man Arrested In Beating Death Of 2-Year-Old Girl

Police: Man Had Been Baby-Sitting Girlfriend's Daughter

June 24, 2011

FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ind. -- A Franklin County man has been arrested, accused of beating his girlfriend's 2-year-old daughter to death.

Officers were called to the Big Cedar Trailer Court near Brookville on March 12 after the girl's mother said she came home from work to find her daughter, Sapphyre Putney, unresponsive in her bed.

The toddler was taken to Harrison Medical Center in Harrison, Ohio, where she was pronounced dead.

Final autopsy results recently released showed the child died of blunt-impact injuries to her abdomen resulting in a laceration to her small intestine and a pancreatic injury, police said.

Luis Antonio Gonzalez, 31, the live-in boyfriend of the girl's mother, had been baby-sitting the victim the night she died, police said.

He was arrested Thursday on preliminary charges of murder and battery resulting in death. He was being held Friday in the Hamilton County Detention Center in Cincinnati pending extradition back to Franklin County.

Also:

Grandma speaks out after arrest in toddler's death

PLEASUREVILLE, KY (WAVE) – A Henry County, KY woman is heartbroken as she learns how her granddaughter was killed and who police say is to blame. Indiana State Police arrested the mother's boyfriend for the murder of her two-year-old girl.

"She was just an innocent baby, so sweet," said Lisa Woods, victim's grandmother. "The kind of injury that she sustained was like falling from a second story window. That is not an accident."

Two-year-old Sapphyre Putney died back in March. Recently released autopsy results show she was beaten to death. Her mother is Woods' 23-year-old daughter McKenzie Simpson, who lives in Franklin County, Indiana.

Sapphyre was born with a rare genetic disorder; her right leg was only half as long as the other.

"She knew there was a difference in her, but she was never given the opportunity," said Woods. "It was taken from her."

On June 23, Simpson's live-in boyfriend, 31-year-old Luis Gonzalez, was arrested in Ohio for the toddler's murder.

"I love my daughter with all my heart, but she believes in her heart that her boyfriend had nothing to do with this," said Woods. "She has said it from the beginning that he's innocent."

Indiana State Police say Gonzalez was home babysitting Sapphyre while Simpson was at work, when she got home she found the child unresponsive in her bed.

"The arrest has been made, but I still have a lot of unanswered questions, I want to know what happened to my grandbaby," said Woods.

For now all Woods can do is think of the happier times while never letting her granddaughter's memory fade.

"The one thing I have is the peace of knowing where she's at," said Woods. "She'll never be hurt again."

Woods' two grandchildren are also Simpson's children. Woods' and her husband James are in the final stages of legally adopting both of them. As for Gonzalez, he is in the Hamilton County Jail in Cincinnati waiting on authorities to bring him back to Indiana.

Jasmine Abbott

Jasmine Abbott

Mother, 3 children shot to death

January 21, 2011

AUSTIN, Ind. (WDRB Fox 41)--A mother and her three children were found dead inside their Indiana home on Friday. Police say they all suffered gunshot wounds to the head--but police are not looking for any suspects.

Police stop short of calling it a triple murder-suicide, but say they are focusing their investigation only on the four people found dead inside the home.

The small road seems oddly busy as curious people slow down to take a look at a house on New York Street in Austin, Indiana. Karen Barrett remembers the last conversation she had with 30-year-old Amanda Bennett, "Just 'Hi! How ya doin?', she laughed, just like she, you know, she was a happy go lucky person, she just 'good how are you!' I waved my hand and went on, ya know."

Roses were left behind on a car for the four people found dead inside the burned home in Austin, Indiana Friday. Officials say Amanda Bennett and her three children--14-year-old Jasmine, 9-year-old Katelynn, and Ryan, 4-years old, all died from gunshot wounds to the head.

It appears Amanda and Katelynn might have suffered smoke inhalation. Although it is unclear how the fire started.

Police are not looking for suspects, but will not say it is a triple murder-suicide. "The detectives are not ready to make any determinations or give any exact facts on what happened inside of the home," said Sergeant Jerry Goodin, with Indiana State Police.

Friends say there were signs of marital problems. "This past Sunday night we come home from church," said Barrett, "and there were two loads of cops here and the husband and wife I assume had a scuffle because that's what my niece said, that Jasmine had come to school talking about her mom and dad getting a divorce."

But other than that, Barrett says you would never know. "He'd get out and play basketball with the kids, she'd sit out on the porch and watch 'em play you'd never know there was any family trouble, never," said Barrett.

Police would not comment on any possible domestic problems. "That is part of our investigation so there are some things that we don't want to release," said Goodin.

Debra Davidson is a cook at Austin Elementary and says she'll never forget 9-year-old Katelynn. "She always gave me and one of the other cooks a hug every day," said Davidson.

The deaths are something many just cannot comprehend. "I can't understand it," said Barrett, "I just can't see it myself, Lord knows all about it."

"We owe this not only to the family, but the public," said Goodin, "and we're going to come to some answers and when we get those answers we'll release them."

Austin schools will have extra counselors at school on Monday.


See post for dear siblings Katelynn Bennett and Ryan Bennett.

Katelynn Bennett

Katelynn Bennett

Indiana woman killed her 3 children and herself, police say

January 25, 2011

An Indiana woman shot her three children and set the family's house on fire before turning the gun on herself, police said.

The bodies of the four were discovered Friday, when police in Austin, Indiana, responded to the home to conduct a welfare check.

"Upon arriving, the officer had to make a forced entry into the residence," Indiana State Police said Monday in a statement. "Once in the residence, he saw parts of the home had suffered recent fire damage and also located four deceased persons in the home."

The state police assisted with the investigation, which preliminarily concluded that 30-year-old Amanda Bennett shot the children -- 14-year-old Jasmine Abbott, 9-year-old Katelynn Bennett and 4-year-old Ryan Bennett -- before starting the fire and shooting herself.

"While the investigation remains open until autopsy reports are finalized, indications are this case is a tragic case of murder/suicide that claimed three innocent lives along with the suspect of the murders, Amanda Bennett," the police statement said.

All four apparently died from gunshot wounds to the head. Amanda Bennett and Katelynn Bennett also suffered smoke inhalation, police said.

The family's dog was also shot, but survived and was being treated at a veterinary clinic, authorities said.

Jasmine, the teenager, had made references to marital problems between her parents and a possible divorce, friend Karen Barrett told CNN affiliate WDRB.

Indiana State Police spokesman Sgt. Jerry Goodin told CNN that authorities examined online content as part of their investigation, including a posting purportedly from Amanda Bennett that blamed her husband, according to WDRB, saying, "You got what you wanted, no wife and no kids."

However, the reasons for the shootings remain unclear, Goodin said.

"The only person that knows the motive is Amanda," he said.

Austin is about 35 miles north of Louisville, Kentucky.


See post for dear siblings Jasmine Abbott and Ryan Bennett.

Ryan Bennett

Mom Shot 3 Kids, Started Fire, Before Killing Herself

January 25, 2011

AUSTIN, Ind. -- A southern Indiana woman shot her three children and the family dog before setting fire to her home and fatally shooting herself, investigators said Monday as somber classmates of the slain children returned to school three days after the bodies were found.

Indiana State Police said they believe Amanda Bennett, 30, carried out the triple murder-suicide at the family's home in the Scott County town of Austin, shooting her three children and herself in the head.

Her body and those of 14-year-old Jasmine Abbott, 9-year-old Katelynn Bennett and 4-year-old Ryan Bennett were found Friday in the partially burned home after worried relatives asked police to check on the family.

State police Sgt. Jerry Goodin said Monday in a statement that the killings were "a tragic case of murder/suicide that claimed three innocent lives" along with that of the youngsters' mother, the alleged assailant.

"After shooting the children, indications are Amanda Bennett started a fire in the home and then took her own life," Goodin said Monday in a statement.

Friends and neighbors told The Courier-Journal of Louisville, Ky., that Amanda Bennett was a factory worker along with her husband, who had been laid off since last spring and moved out about a month ago from the home about 35 miles north of Louisville, Ky.

Family friend Karen Barrett told WDRB-TV in Louisville that Amanda Bennett was in the midst of a divorce from her husband but that the family had seemed close.

"He'd get out and play basketball with the kids, she'd sit out on the porch and watch `em play. You'd never know there was any family trouble, never," Barrett said.

Goodin would not comment on any possible domestic problems. Police are looking into an Internet posting that may have been from Amanda that read, in part, "Time to take away the pain. This is what you wanted, no wife and no kids."

"That is part of our investigation, so there are some things that we don't want to release," he said.

Trooper Mark LaMaster said investigators are looking into whether Amanda Bennett may have posted comments on the Internet prior to the shootings that alluded to her intention to kill her children.

Preliminary death findings showed that Amanda and Katelynn Bennett died from a combination of gunshot wound to the head and smoke inhalation. The two other siblings died from a gunshot wound to the head, Goodin said.

The family dog was shot but was recovering Monday at a veterinary clinic in Scott County, police said.

A makeshift memorial set up on the front steps of the family's modular home included a flickering candle set surrounded by teddy bears and other animals left by relatives and neighbors. Two roses also were left on the windshield of a car parked in the driveway, WAVE-TV of Louisville reported.

Betty Hensley, who lives near the family, told the station that she's at a loss to understand the killings.

"Why, why -- I'm asking why? Why did this happen to these people? I mean these were good people, why did this happen? And I don't know. I couldn't tell you. I sure don't know," Hensley said.

Extra counselors were on hand Monday as students returned to school for the first time since word of the shootings was announced Friday evening. Jasmine Abbott was a freshman at Austin High School, Katelynn was a fourth-grader and Ryan was a preschool student.

Kenneth Kidd, the assistant superintendent of the Scott County School District, said the mood was generally somber Monday at the district schools where the siblings had attended classes.

Mother, pregnant with Ryan, with two sisters

"We still have a few rambunctious ones over there today, but mostly it's somber," Kidd told WDRB.

Austin High School Principal Sherman Smith told WAVE that counselors at the school worked Monday to try to comfort mourning students but obviously could not explain for them why the tragedy occurred.

"It's a grief we don't know how to prepare for," Smith said. "We deal with it the best we can. We know what we know and that's all we know. We don't have the answers for our kids."


See post for dear siblings Jasmine Abbott and  Katelynn Bennett.

Crystal Ann Curtis

Indiana Man Gets 55-year Sentence in Wife's Slaying

Updated: Thursday, 20 Jan 2011, 3:51 PM EST

MUNCIE, Ind. (AP) - A central Indiana man has been sentenced to 55 years in prison for stabbing to death his sleeping wife with an ornamental dagger.

Forty-six-year-old Thomas E. Curtis was sentenced Wednesday by a Delaware County judge who had found Curtis guilty of murder but mentally ill last month in the December 2009 killing of his 27-year-old wife, Crystal, in the couple's Muncie home.

Authorities said Curtis immediately called 911 dispatchers after the fatal attack and said, "I think I just killed my wife."

The Star Press reports that mental health professionals testified during Curtis' bench trial that he had been diagnosed with bi-polar and "intermittent explosive" disorders, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder.

Public defender Kelly Bryan said his client's "thinking was disturbed by mental illness."

UPDATE:

August 26, 2011

MUNCIE, Ind. -- The Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled that a judge wrongly sentenced a Muncie man to prison for killing his wife and that he should instead be sent to a mental hospital. The decision overturns the verdict of guilty but mentally ill on murder charges that Thomas Curtis, 47, received last year after a bench trial. It orders that he be found not guilty by reason of insanity for stabbing Crystal Curtis, 27, with an ornamental dagger while she slept in 2009.

The Star Press reported that a psychiatrist testified that Curtis might not spend much time hospitalized after going on anti-psychotic medications. The appeals court ruled that the judge's concerns over public safety weren't grounds for a guilty verdict. Delaware County prosecutors say an appeal of the ruling is unlikely.

(Commentary: Unbelievable!!!)