Jeffrey Weisheit Indiana Death Row

Jeffrey Weisheit Indiana Death Row

Jeffrey Weisheit was sentenced to death by the State of Indiana for the murders of two children. According to court documents Jeffrey Weisheit was mad at his girlfriend so he bound her two children with duct tape and set the house on fire. Autopsies would show the two young children died of smoke inhalation. Jeffrey Weisheit was arrested in Kentucky where he was extradited back to Indiana where he would later be convicted and sentenced to death.

Indiana Death Row Inmate List

Jeffrey Weisheit 2021 Information

DOC Number108004
First NameJEFFREY
Middle NameA
Last NameWEISHEIT
Suffix
Date of Birth03/28/1976
GenderMale
RaceWhite
Facility/LocationIndiana State Prison
Earliest Possible Release Date *
*Offenders scheduled for release on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday are released on Monday. Offenders scheduled for release on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday are released on Thursday. Offenders whose release date falls on a Holiday are released on the first working day prior to the Holiday.
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Jeffrey Weisheit More News

Lisa Lynch took longs breaks to fight back tears during her testimony Monday in a trial where her ex-boyfriend could be sentenced to death for the murder of her two children.

Jeffrey Weisheit, 37, is charged with setting fire to the Evansville home he shared with Lynch and her two children, Caleb Lynch, 5, and Alyssa Lynch, 8, in 2010 while the children were inside.

The case is being tried in Clark County because of the media attention it has received in Vanderburgh County where the alleged crime was committed.

Lynch, 30, testified that during a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. work shift she had received a phone call after midnight from her neighbor that her home was on fire. She said Weisheit, who was watching the children, did not respond to her calls and text messages as she tried to find out if her children were safe.

The frantic mother was given ride from a co-worker to her burning home nearly 45 minutes away.

Lynch said from the witness stand that her neighbor had informed her that Weisheit’s Camaro was not at the home, and she went as far as contacting OnStar customer service to track down Weisheit in the vehicle. She said after several phone calls, an OnStar representative reached Weisheit, but her then-boyfriend declined to take the call from her.

At about 7:45 a.m. April 10, hours after Lynch reached the home, emergency response officials located Caleb Lynch’s remains in the burning rubble. It wasn’t until after 3 p.m. when Alyssa Lynch’s body was found huddled in what had been a closet.

Pictures of the children’s charred remains were shown to jurors Monday, after attorneys had presented their opening arguments earlier in the day.

Vanderburgh County Deputy Prosecutors Charles Berger and Gary Shutte are representing the state. Weisheit is represented by court-appointed attorneys Mike McDaniel, of New Albany, and Steve Owens, of Vanderburgh County.

After a week of jury selection, the trial continued Monday in Judge Daniel Moore’s Circuit Court No. 1.

Prosecutors called five witnesses to testify on its first day of presenting the case. Along with Lynch, her neighbor, two Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Department deputies and German Township Volunteer Fire Department Chief David Bretz also testified.

Lynch testified that she became involved with Weisheit, a co-worker at a plastics plant, during her divorce with her children’s father, in 2008. She said they had a good relationship and had even talked about getting married and gone ring shopping, but the two were never officially engaged.

During Bretz’s testimony — who was German Township VFD’s assistant chief at the time of the 2010 house fire — he said that when Caleb Lynch’s remains were found, a road flare and a partial road flare were located in the immediate area.

When Bretz was cross-examined by the defense, however, he could not say how the fire was started or where in the home the blaze had originated.

During the trial’s afternoon break, McDaniel said he was pleased to have the long jury-selection process behind him and to be moving onto the arguments.

“It is good to get started, and I think it is going to move pretty quickly,” McDaniel said.

He said it remains unresolved if the fatal fire resulted from arson or another more benign cause.

McDaniel told the jurors earlier in the day to not let the emotional impact of the case sway their decision-making during the trial, adding that the photographs of the deceased children are some of the most unsettling images he has come across in his 45 years attending autopsies.

“When you are dealing with kids who have been burned, that’s as bad as it gets,” McDaniel said.

He said the defense plans to show that Weisheit did not set out to murder the Lynch children.

“I am hoping they will find that there was not an intentionally set fire,” he said. “I told the jury this morning: This is a fellow who should have been convicted of felonious neglect of children resulting in their death.”

The trial was scheduled to continue Tuesday morning.

Roy Ward Indiana Death Row

roy ward indiana death row

Roy Ward was sentenced to death by the State of Indiana for the sexual assault and murder of a teenager. According to court documents Roy Ward entered a home and attacked the fifteen year old girl with a knife, while he was sexually assaulting her, the victims fourteen year old sister phoned 911. Roy Ward would stab the fifteen year old to death before the police arrived. Roy Ward was arrested at the scene, later convicted and sentenced to death.

Indiana Death Row Inmate List

Roy Ward 2021 Information

DOC Number914976
First NameROY
Middle NameL
Last NameWARD
Suffix
Date of Birth07/20/1972
GenderMale
RaceWhite
Facility/LocationIndiana State Prison
Earliest Possible Release Date *
*Offenders scheduled for release on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday are released on Monday. Offenders scheduled for release on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday are released on Thursday. Offenders whose release date falls on a Holiday are released on the first working day prior to the Holiday.
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Roy Ward More News

The folks in Dale, Indiana are shocked by the news that a death row inmate will get a new trial for the brutal murder of 15-year-old Stacey Payne.

The Indiana Supreme Court ruled Roy Lee Ward’s trial should have been venue out of Spencer County. Or the jurors should have been brought in, because of pretrial publicity prevented him from getting a fair trial.

Obviously, the Payne family is very disappointed with not only the Supreme Court’s decision, but also the legal system in general. They say they are being victimized all over again, by a system set up to protect them.

The Payne family has met with the prosecutor. They told him if the state felt it was appropriate to seek death in the first trial, it’s their feeling it should be appropriate in the second. They are also extremely frustrated, when from the very beginning the defense admitted he did it.

It’s now in the hands of the prosecutor, who has some time to respond. He has to decided on what action the state will take and whether they will again seek the death penalty.

Newswatch spent the day with Stacy’s aunt, and found out just how the family feels about this.

She worries for Stacy’s younger sister, Melissa.  She was at home when her sister was brutally attacked, and was the one who called 911.

“For a 15-year-old to see the judicial system working like this, and to feel the devastation of Wednesday, and saying I went through this once and I have to do it again. Can I do it again, is hard. And can the family do it again? I don’t know.”

The family is facing old emotions that never completely left.

“There’s the anger that only comes out to Roy Lee Ward and the question why did he do this to our child, why did he do this.”

But with that comes additional anger the second time around.

“That the system cares more about him and values him more than the law abiding citizens, and put so much into raising a child that is good and he can take it, and we protect him.”

“The huge hole that never completely heals is just gaping again.”

A Tri-State man sentenced to death for killing a Dale, Indiana teenager will get a new trial.

In a unanimous decision, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled that Roy Lee Ward’s trial should not have taken place in Spencer County because of pre-trial publicity. The court says Ward’s trial should have been moved or jurors should have been taken from another county. The court says that half the twelve jurors said before the trial that they believed Ward was guilty.

Defense Attorney Barbara Williams says the court’s decision means the case against Ward will have to start from scratch with Ward being returned to Spencer County for arraignment. No dates have been set.

https://www.14news.com/story/1980920/family-reacts-to-new-trial-order-for-their-teens-killer/

Benjamin Ritchie Indiana Death Row

Benjamin Ritchie Indiana Death Row

Benjamin Ritchie was sentenced to death by the State of Indiana for the murder of a police officer. According to court documents Officers noticed a stolen van and a chase began. Benjamin Ritchie would crash the vehicle and take off running followed by Officer William Toney. Benjamin Ritchie would turn around and fire striking the Officer and killing him. Benjamin Ritchie would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death.

Indiana Death Row Inmate List

Benjamin Ritchie 2021 Information

DOC Number967072
First NameBENJAMIN
Middle Name
Last NameRITCHIE
Suffix
Date of Birth05/03/1980
GenderMale
RaceWhite
Facility/LocationIndiana State Prison
Earliest Possible Release Date *
*Offenders scheduled for release on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday are released on Monday. Offenders scheduled for release on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday are released on Thursday. Offenders whose release date falls on a Holiday are released on the first working day prior to the Holiday.
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Benjamin Ritchie More News

Indiana has ten men on death row at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City. Some of those convicted killers are featured in a documentary about Indiana’s death row that airs on ITV in the United Kingdom February 1.

Repeated television exposure upsets the widow of fallen Beech Grove police officer Bill Toney

Dee Dee Horen was recently informed that her late husband’s killer is going to be on TV again. She wants people to see the other side of death row, the side of the victim’s family that has survived and thrived despite tragedy.

“It angers me, because he’s still sitting there, and I know that his case is still sitting on a judge’s desk somewhere,” said Horen. “He doesn’t have a date that I’m aware of. I don’t sit around and think about, ‘I can’t wait until the day when Benjamin Ritchie is put to death.’ I don’t give him my time for that.”

Horen is upset that ITV will air a follow-up program Thursday in the United Kingdom to a documentary that aired five years ago and featured the man who killed her husband.

“Gosh, there’s so much more to this story. Why does this story have to keep going back to him? There’s a family that survived this tragedy,” she said.

Over 17 years have passed since Officer Toney was shot and killed during a foot pursuit of Ritchie. The officer was shot in the neck.

His daughters were just four and 18 months old when he died. Now both in college, Jess and Emily Toney have limited memories of their father.

“I thought by the time that the girls were old enough to start asking questions, I could say, ‘The man that killed your dad was executed 10 years ago, five years ago.’ Now I have to explain it to my 12-year-old son,” said Horen.

Dee Dee married a family friend, Ryan Horen, who knew Bill. Dee Dee and Ryan have been married 15 years with a 12-year-old son together, Rylan.

“Somebody stepped up when Benjamin Ritchie took my girls’ dad and my husband,” said Dee Dee. “Somebody else stood up and took on the responsibility of us.”

Dee Dee remains close to Bill’s family and they honor his memory with an annual cornhole tournament.

Meanwhile, his killer has exhausted his appeals while living on death row over 15 years.

“As a Christian, I have forgiven him,” Dee Dee said. “It’s not going to do me any good whatsoever to go and watch a man die. But I do want justice for him. I do believe in the death penalty. I do believe he deserves the death penalty.”

Ritchie’s eventual execution will bring Dee Dee no joy.

“I’m going to get a…” Dee took a deep sigh. “It’s over. It’s done. There’s justice for Bill and my daughters. Bill’s mom, little sister and brothers don’t have to see his face again or hear about him again.”

Dee Dee admits she will probably watch the new documentary eventually, but she does not believe inmates on death row should be allowed to give media interviews.

Indiana last carried out the death penalty by lethal injection in 2009. The execution of Matthew Eric Wrinkles came 14 years after his sentencing.

The Indiana Supreme Court denied Ritchie’s appeal in 2014. The U.S. Supreme Court denied his appeal in April 2017. The Indiana Department of Correction says Ritchie has exhausted his appeals. The Indiana Supreme Court must issue the execution order.

https://www.wthr.com/article/news/crime/widow-of-beech-grove-police-officer-upset-killer-on-death-row-gets-tv-exposure/531-7959ac12-0187-4f19-9084-a0bcf6550116

Michael Overstreet Indiana Death Row

michael overstreet indiana death row

Michael Overstreet was sentenced to death by the State of Indiana for the sexual assault and murder of a college student. According to court documents Michael Overstreet would abduct the victim, sexually assault her and then murder her by wrapping a shoe string around her throat and shooting her in the head. Michael Overstreet was arrested, convicted and sentenced to death. Michael Overstreet has been declared incompetent meaning he will not be executed.

Indiana Death Row Inmate List

Michael Overstreet 2021 Information

DOC Number993801
First NameMICHAEL
Middle NameD
Last NameOVERSTREET
Suffix
Date of Birth11/18/1966
GenderMale
RaceWhite
Facility/LocationIndiana State Prison
Earliest Possible Release Date *
*Offenders scheduled for release on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday are released on Monday. Offenders scheduled for release on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday are released on Thursday. Offenders whose release date falls on a Holiday are released on the first working day prior to the Holiday.
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Michael Overstreet More News

The state will not appeal a judge’s decision that Michael Dean Overstreet – who was convicted of the 1997 abduction, rape and murder of a Franklin College student – is incompetent to be executed.

Overstreet was sentenced to death in 2000 in the death of 18-year-old Kelly Eckart. But last month St. Joseph Superior Judge Jane Woodward Miller ruled that Overstreet’s hallucinations and delusions would prevent him from understanding the execution.

The Indiana attorney general’s office said in a statement Tuesday that an appeal of that ruling “is unlikely to succeed.” The office said that Miller’s ruling, which was based in part on testimony from four psychiatrists, “is likely to be considered reasonable” and won’t be overturned.

That means Overstreet will remain on death row but can’t be executed unless a judge finds that he is competent.

“My office has defended the conviction obtained by the prosecutor for the past 14 years during multiple appeals and will continue to faithfully defend the jury’s verdict and death sentence,” Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller said in a statement.

“My decision was based on the conclusion that Judge Miller’s determination of incompetency was done in a manner as set out by the United States Supreme Court that did not provide adequate grounds for appeal,” he said.

Overstreet has spent the last 14 years on death row for the murder and rape of Eckart, whom he strangled by a shoestring and a strap from her overalls. Eckart was also shot once in the head.

In a 2007 decision in another case, the U.S. Supreme Court reaffirmed that death row inmates who are mentally ill cannot be executed if they cannot rationally understand why they are being executed and what execution means.

The attorney general’s office can petition the trial court to reconsider Overstreet’s competency when and if his mental state improves enough for him to be executed.

https://www.wfyi.org/news/articles/indiana-wont-appeal-overstreet-execution-ruling

Kevin Isom Indiana Death Row

kevin isom indiana death row

Kevin Isom was sentenced to death by the State of Indiana for the murders of his wife and two step children. According to court documents Kevin Isom learned that his wife was planning to leave him so he grabbed a shotgun and would shoot and kill her and her two children, Michael Moore, 16, and Ci’Andria Cole, 13. Kevin Isom would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death.

Indiana Death Row Inmate List

Kevin Isom 2021 Information

DOC Number108003
First NameKEVIN
Middle NameC
Last NameISOM
Suffix
Date of Birth01/04/1966
GenderMale
RaceBlack
Facility/LocationIndiana State Prison
Earliest Possible Release Date *
*Offenders scheduled for release on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday are released on Monday. Offenders scheduled for release on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday are released on Thursday. Offenders whose release date falls on a Holiday are released on the first working day prior to the Holiday.
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Kevin Isom More News

A Gary man on death row for killing his wife and two stepchildren is still seeking a new trial, or alternatively, asking to be sentenced again.

Kevin Isom, 53, was sentenced to death in 2013 after a jury convicted him in the Aug. 6, 2007, deaths of his wife, Cassandra Isom, and stepchildren Michael Moore, 16, and Ci’Andria Cole, 13.

Police found all three shot in the family’s apartment in Gary’s Miller section. Isom was found sitting on the floor in a bedroom with blood on his clothes, court records show.

Isom filed a direct appeal, which was denied. His sentence was, however, amended to three concurrent, rather than consecutive, death sentences, court records show. Isom then filed a petition for post-conviction relief, which was denied in June.

Now, Isom has appealed that denial, asking the Indiana Supreme Court to reverse his convictions and remand his case for a new trial. As an alternative, Isom asked for a new sentencing proceeding, court records show.

Isom’s convictions and death sentence violate the U.S. and Indiana constitutions, according to an 87-page brief filed Friday by public defenders representing Isom.

Specifically, the brief states that Isom had ineffective counsel at trial; his counsel for his appeal had a “constitutionally deficient performance” which prejudiced Isom; and the post-conviction court erred in denying a request to determine whether Isom was still competent to proceed, among other issues.

If the Indiana Supreme Court affirms the denial of Isom’s petition for post-conviction relief, “Isom may want to ask the federal courts to review his convictions and sentence,” according to the brief.

Isom was denied his right be tried by an impartial jury, the brief states. Prospective jurors discussed Isom’s case during the selection process, even though they were instructed not to do so, according to the brief.

“Counsel should have moved to strike the entire panel,” the brief states.

Isom’s current counsel asked permission to question Isom’s jurors about his case, but that was denied, court records show.

Isom’s trial team should have interviewed Dr. Gary Durak and called him as a witness, the brief states. Durak evaluated Isom two times in 2008, closer in time to when Isom was charged than two other doctors who did testify, according to the brief. Durak had noted that Isom may be “on the schizophrenia spectrum,” according to court records.

“They jury heard nothing to substantiate Isom’s severe mental illness,” the brief states.

Having this information, along with other records and mitigating information, “is reasonably likely to have moved the jury to determine Isom did not deserve the death penalty,” according to the brief.

Isom was deemed competent to stand trial, but he “truly does not remember what happened in his apartment,” the brief states.

Isom has previously refused to be in the courtroom and “irrationally refused to have any discussions with counsel,” according to the brief. Isom’s team argued that he should be evaluated again to see if he is competent to understand his current proceedings, the brief states.

“Each team of attorneys representing Isom has, at some point in their respective times on Isom’s case, harbored a good-faith belief that Isom’s mental condition was or is so compromised so that Isom was not able to assist the attorneys,” according to the brief.

The brief also requested that the state “provide information regarding the drugs which will be used to execute Isom,” which was denied because an execution date has not been set, so the state does not know which substances or methodology will be used.

Isom’s team is worried this could affect his opportunity to challenge whether the method is acceptable under the U.S. and Indiana constitutions, the brief states.

Isom is currently being held at Indiana State Prison in Michigan City, according to the Indiana Department of Correction.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/ct-ptb-kevin-isom-death-penalty-st-0302-story.html