Tag: indiana

Jason Brown Convicted In Cop Killing

Jason Brown cop killing

Jason Brown was just convicted in the brutal murder of a police officer in Indiana. According to court documents Jason Brown was involved in an accident where his vehicle rolled over. Southport Police Department Lt. Aaron Allan was attempting to help Jason Brown when Brown would grab a handgun and shoot the officer several times causing his death. Jason Brown would be arrested and convicted of murder. Even though this murder screams for the death penalty Indiana prosecutors decided not to pursue it. Jason Brown will be sentenced in early April 2022

Jason Brown More News

A man has been found guilty of murdering a police officer in 2017.

Jason Brown, 32, was convicted for the murder of Southport Police Department Lt. Aaron Allan. Brown’s trial lasted six days.

Allan was shot nearly a dozen times while responding to a crash. Brown was in the driver’s seat and suspended upside down after the vehicle rolled. Allan was trying to help Brown when he was shot with a handgun.

“We should all strive to carry ourselves with the compassion that Aaron demonstrated both in his professional and personal life,” Prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement. “He was a family man who lost his life while trying to do his job and help someone in need. As we come one step closer to providing finality to the criminal matter, our thoughts remain with the Allan family and the Southport Police Department.”

Jason Brown will be sentenced on April 8.

Man found guilty for murder of Southport officer in 2017

Jason Brown Other News

A verdict is coming Tuesday in the trial of the man who shot and killed Southport Police Lt. Aaron Allan almost five years ago. 

Even before the verdict, Lt. Allan’s family is angry and disappointed in the legal turns this case has taken to limit the possible sentence for Jason Brown. 

Allan’s father, James, brought several photos of his son to an interview at the Southport Police Department Monday morning.   

“The one picture that…,” said James, holding up an empty photo frame fighting tears and his voice cracking, “is the one I don’t have. I’ve got nothing for this picture frame.”

He keeps the empty photo frame as a reminder of the son he lost in the line of duty. 

“Many memories that I wish I could share and fill this frame with – a fishing trip, a hunting trip, just sitting in the backyard having a hamburger – I don’t get those pictures,” said James.

Almost five years since his Allan’s death, his family still waits for justice. But no matter the verdict Tuesday, the family says they won’t get justice. 

“I still can’t catch my breath,” said James. “I’m angry as hell. My whole family is. I’m pretty sure the community feels just as poorly as I do.”

Brown faces a 45- to 65-year sentence if found guilty of murder.   

“I’m apprehensive,” said James. “I want to be hopeful. What the prosecutor’s office promised four-and-a-half years ago isn’t there, but then for what they traded has also been taken away.”

The death penalty was taken off the table when Brown waived a jury trial. Life without parole was eliminated when Judge Mark Stoner granted a defense motion during the trial. The judge ruled that the prosecution had not proven that Brown knew he was shooting a police officer. 

The Allan family feels let down repeatedly by the prosecutor. 

“It was lackluster at best coming from the prosecutor’s office,” said James. “They asked that we put our trust in them, and in that we were deceived. We were blindsided. I’ve had four-and-a-half years of waiting for justice. My family’s not receiving it.” 

On July 27, 2017, Lt. Allan responded to a car crash on Madison Avenue in Homecroft. Allan crawled into an upside-down car to help the driver when he was shot and killed by the driver.

“This was somebody that was there to help another person who maliciously pulled a weapon and fired it at least 18 times, striking another person no less than 11, killing him instantly in that yard: all because he was there to help,” said James. “Aaron wasn’t about catching bad guys. It didn’t matter. ‘What can I do? Who can I help today?’ That’s who my son was. That’s what he wanted to be. And that’s exactly who he is even today.”

This was a bench trial, where Stoner heard seven days of testimony and evidence. Final arguments were made Feb. 15. Stoner will announce his verdict Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. in what is expected to be a packed courtroom.  

https://www.wthr.com/article/news/crime/aaron-allan-southport-police-jason-brown-murder-trial-verdict/531-23ca3f8f-10f4-43b4-a93c-9ddf1d717fe2

Omarion Wilbourn Teen Killer Murders Woman Sexually Assaults 2 More

Omarion Wilbourn teen killer photos

Omarion Wilbourn was just fifteen years old when he murdered a mother of three and sexually assaulted another woman and a teenage girl. According to court documents Omarion Wilbourn reign of terror began with two sexual assaults and would end when he murdered a mother of three inside of her own home. This teen killer would be sentenced to fifty five years in prison plus another forty years for the sexual assaults.

Omarion Wilbourn 2023 Information

Omarion Wilbourn was just sentenced in the last week and it takes some time before he is officially entered into the Indiana department of corrections

Omarion Wilbourn More News

A man previously convicted of raping a woman and teen girl in summer 2017 was sentenced Monday to another 55 years for brutally killing a mother of three young children in her Hammond home.

The sentence means Omarion Wilbourn — who was just 15 years old the summer he committed the crimes — has now been ordered to serve a total of 95 years in prison.

Omarion Wilbourn, 19, of Hammond, already is serving a 40-year sentence for the two rapes in Hammond’s Hessville section. He was charged as an adult in 2018, after a judge waived his cases from Lake Juvenile Court. 

A Lake Criminal Court jury convicted Wilbourn in September of murdering Lucia “Lucy” Gonzalez on Aug. 21, 2017, inside her home in 7500 block of Alexander Avenue in Hessville.

Judge Gina Jones said there was nothing she could do to ease the pain Wilbourn’s actions caused.

She urged members of Gonzalez’s and Wilbourn’s families not to “get caught up in the what-ifs of life.”

“Allow yourself some grace and some time to heal from this life-changing event,” the judge said.

Gonzalez’s mother, Cristina Gonzalez, told Wilbourn she watched him in court over the years and never saw him show any regret.

Lucia Gonzalez adored her three children, who often ask their grandmother why their mother has to be an angel instead of being with them, Cristina Gonzalez said. 

“I don’t know what to answer, because there is no answer,” she said.

There are no more happy days, no Christmases without tears, Cristina Gonzalez said.

“This is not a good life,” she said. 

Lucia Gonzalez’s neighbor, Ashley Adkins, said she will never forget the panic Lucia Gonzalez’s 6-year-old daughter was experiencing the morning the girl knocked on her door holding her younger sibling and asked for help.

The girl had discovered Lucia’s bloodied, bludgeoned and partially clothed body in their dining room and had the wherewithal to gather her siblings and go to Adkins’ home, Lake County Supervisory Deputy Prosecutor Michelle Jatkiewicz said.

Lucia Gonzalez was an amazing, kindhearted person who treated Adkins’ children as her own, Adkins said.

Wilbourn’s crime wasn’t “a bad decision,” as his defense attorney described it, Adkins said.

“That was a horrible, horrific act, and I hope that her beautiful face haunts you for the rest of your life,” she said.

Defense attorney John Maksimovich said Omarion Wilbourn lacked adult guidance as a child. He never knew his biological father because the father was in prison, he said.

“This is all very difficult to even think about,” he said. “The last grade he completed was sixth grade, and he was in special education.”

Wilbourn began using alcohol and drugs at 13, he said.

“He made a series of bad decisions, and here he sits,” Maksimovich said.

Other courts have held that juveniles should not receive the equivalent of a life sentence, he said.

The defense attorney recommended a minimum sentence of 45 years and asked Jones to order it be served concurrently with Wilbourn’s sentences for the rapes.

Jatkiewicz said Wilbourn’s mother and stepfather knew something wasn’t right when they brought him to the Hammond Police Department to talk about how he’d been stabbed. The interview occurred hours after Lucia Gonzalez’s homicide.

Wilbourn’s story about how he was wounded didn’t check out, and evidence at trial showed Lucia Gonzalez likely was killed with a knife and a crowbar. An eyewitness saw Omarion Wilbourn walking down an embankment near his home, where police later found a knife and a crowbar.

“What no one knew then was Omarion Wilbourn was a predator,” Jatkiewicz said. “Earlier that summer, two ladies were viciously raped, dragged into an alley and threatened with a hammer.”

Lucia Gonzalez chose to fight Wilbourn while her children were sleeping steps away, and she lost her life, the deputy prosecutor said.

Jatkiewicz said Wilbourn’s attorney was correct that “life sentences are all but unconstitutional” for juveniles, except in rare cases. Wilbourn is one of those cases, she said.

Monday’s testimony was heart-wrenching, but Wilbourn showed no emotion, Jatkiewicz said.

“Blank. Nothing,” she said.

Jatkiewicz recommended a sentence of 60 years.

Allowing Wilbourn to serve his sentence for murder at the same time as his sentences for rape would effectively signal that one of his victim’s lives didn’t matter, she said.

“(Gonzalez) was a wonderful woman, and ultimately she gave her life so society could be saved from Mr. Wilbourn,” she said. 

https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/man-sentenced-to-55-years-for-brutally-slaying-woman-when-he-was-15/article_efa23d3d-95d5-5d84-914e-0d3443d19462.html

Frequently Asked Questions

Omarion Wilbourn Now

Omarion Wilbourn has yet to enter the Indiana Department Of Corrections

Omarion Wilbourn Release Date

Omarion Wilbourn is not eligible for release until 2115

Steven Judy Indiana Execution

steven judy indiana

Steven Judy was executed by the State of Indiana for the murders of a mother and her children. According to court documents Steven Judy would murder Terry Lee Chasteen and her three children, Misty Ann, Steve and Mark, on April 28, 1979. Steven Judy would confess to his foster mother while he was on Indiana death row that he was responsible for a number of other murders of women across the USA. Steven Judy would be executed by electric chair on March 9, 1981.

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Terry Lee Chasteen started her work day April 28, 1979, with her normal routine of taking her three young children to their baby sitter’s house. Along the way, Chasteen had car trouble. The single mom pulled to the side of the road and readily accepted help from a man who she thought was simply being a Good Samaritan.

Steven Judy was anything but a Good Samaritan.

After fixing her tire but disabling her car, Judy offered Chasteen and her children a ride.

1979 Steven Judy booking mug.

Within an hour, Terry and her children were dead. Judy savagely raped and strangled Chasteen and threw her three children into White Lick Creek near Mooresville. The children — Misty Ann, 5; Steve, 4; and Mark, 2 — drowned.

Judy was tried in Martinsville in January 1980 and initially maintained his innocence. He later confessed and was sentenced to the electric chair.

Steven T. Judy was executed March 9, 1981. He ordered prime rib and lobster for his last meal. His final words before execution were, “I don’t hold no grudges. This is my doing. Sorry it happened.”

State death penalty laws were overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1972. Many states, including Indiana, passed new laws that met the criteria outlined by the high court. Indiana’s death penalty was reinstated in 1977, and Judy was the first to go to the electric chair after that.

https://www.indystar.com/story/news/history/retroindy/2015/03/09/steven-judy-4-killed-in-chilling-case/24654597/

Bennie And Blade Reed Teen Killers

bennie and blade reed photos

Bennie and Blade reed were two brothers from Indiana who went searching for beer on night that ended in murder. According to court documents sixteen year old Bennie Reed and his thirteen year old brother Blade Reed were in the search for alcohol that led them to an elderly neighbors home. The two brothers in the process of robbing the home would shoot and kill eighty four year old Richard Voland and attempted to murder the mans seventy seven year old wife. Bennie and Blade Reed would be arrested. Bennie Reed would ultimately be sentenced to sixty years and Blade Reed would receive a thirty year prison sentence. The teen killers would be featured in a documentary by Calamari Productions.

Bennie Reed 2023 Information

DOC Number204028
First NameBENNIE
Middle Name
Last NameREED
Suffix
Date of Birth12/0000
GenderMale
RaceWhite
Facility/LocationWabash Valley Level 3 Facility
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.		11/17/2037

Blade Reed 2023 Information

DOC Number196682
First NameBLADE
Middle NameJ
Last NameREED
Suffix
Date of Birth08/0000
GenderMale
RaceWhite
Facility/LocationBranchville Correctional Facility
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.		03/05/2027

Bennie And Blade Reed More News

Police arrested two teenage brothers for the knife attack on a 77-year-old woman and the murder of her 84-year-old husband. Investigators believe the boys attacked Richard and Mary Voland in their Brown County home in November. The woman survived and gave police a description of the attackers.

The teens lived down the road from the couple they’re now charged with attacking. The 17-year-old, who was 16 at the time of the crime, is being held in the Brown County jail without bond. The even younger suspect, prosecutors say, will be charged in juvenile court.

He was quiet headed into court, but investigators say 17-year-old Bennie Reed admitted to attacking 84-year-old Richard Voland and his 77-year-old wife, Mary, in their rural Brown County home.

The crime paralyzed this community for nearly two months and sent gun permits soaring.

“The people of Brown County don’t have to be afraid anymore because these people have been caught,” said Jim Oliver, Brown County prosecutor.

Investigators say Reed painted a dark picture of the crime he says he committed with his younger brother. Court papers show the teens lived just down the street and rode their bikes to the Voland home that November night, toting a knife and a stolen gun, looking for alcohol.

They knocked on the door and asked to use the phone. Once inside, police say, Reed pulled a gun. That’s when investigators say Richard Voland fired his gun and hit Reed in the arm. Reed fired back, shooting Voland in the head, killing him.

Police say Mary Voland was afraid the gun was still loaded. Court documents show Reed told her, “Let’s find out,” and shot her in the stomach. Investigators say Reed’s brother also cut Mary across the neck with a knife. She survived the attack.

Reed admitted to police that after the crime, he rode his bike back home and went to bed. Then a few days later, he buried the murder weapon, shell casings and a sweatshirt in a creek near his house.

Investigators found a key piece of evidence at Reed’s home: a washcloth that matched the style of the Volands’. It was stained with Reed’s blood.

“The discovery of the washcloth really focused our case,” said Oliver.

Investigators also discovered Reed’s fingerprints in the Volands’ home, noticed two scars on Reed’s arm, which they say matched a gunshot wound, and the boys drew a map so police could find the murder weapon.

Prosecutors say they plan to use all of that evidence to put the teens behind bars. Bennie Reed faces 11 criminal counts and up to 105 years in prison. Prosecutors would not comment on the younger boy’s charges.

https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/teen-brothers-arrested-brown-county-murder/531-f2e96ca7-8e6d-4485-b6d3-bb03717a349c

Bennie And Blade Reed FAQ

Bennie Reed Now

Bennie Reed is currently incarcerated at the Wabash Valley prison in Indiana

Blade Reed Now

Blade Reed is currently incarcerated at the Branchville Correctional Center in Indiana

Bennie Reed Release Date

Bennie Reed earliest chance of parole is in 2037

Blade Reed Release Date

Blade Reed earliest chance of parole is in 2027

Nickalas Kedrowitz Teen Killer Smothers Siblings

Nickalas Kedrowitz 2021 photos

Nickalas Kedrowitz was a thirteen year old from Indiana who would murder his two infant step siblings. According to court documents Nickalas Kedrowitz would his 23-month-old half-sister, Desiree McCartney, in May 2017 and his 11-month-old stepbrother, Nathaniel Ritz, in July 2017. The now fifteen year old Nickalas Kedrowitz would be found guilty of both counts of murder. The teen killer was sentenced to 100 years in prison

Nickalas Kedrowitz 2023 Information

Nicklas Kedrowitz  is not yet in the Indiana Department Of Corrections

Nickalas Kedrowitz More News

In a case that dates back to May 1, 2017, a pre-trial hearing was held in Ripley County Circuit Court last Friday, January 10 at 1:30 p.m. Nickalas Kedrowitz, 15, was clad in a blue jumpsuit with Juvenile Center Inmate imprinted on the back as he was escorted into the courtroom by Ripley County Transport Officers, Winston Halcomb, Randy Thieman, and Ripley County Sheriff’s Deputy, Jordan Hartmann. Kedrowitz’s attorneys, Mark Jones and Lynn Fledderman, asked for a continuance from the February 18 date for a jury trial.

Kedrowitz is accused of killing two of his siblings – Desiree McCartney, two-years-old and Nathaniel Ritz, 11-months old, just 81 days apart at their Osgood home in 2017. In an Affidavit for Probable Cause, Kedrowitz told police “he didn’t want to hurt them (deceased siblings), but he had to set them free from this hell. He said he didn’t leave any bruises or scratches on them.” 

The attorneys asked for the continuance saying a doctor had just recently examined Kedrowitz and had adjusted his psychotic medications. They also asked for additional time to get properly prepared for the trial. Judge Ryan King asked the State if they had received any information from doctors on this turn of events. Prosecuting Attorney Ric Hertel noted that his office had not received anything.

The Judge then asked Defense if they had a report, and they said they did not. They all agreed that the documentation, if and when it is forthcoming, should be shared with the Court and State. Whether or not the documentation from the doctor will be public is to be determined.While the Judge did continue the jury trial date to a possible summer date, he noted, “This could go on forever,” referring to Kedrowitz being sent to several different doctors and medications changing. He told Defense they needed to be preparing for trial. 

Another pre-trial hearing was set for March 19 at 1:30 p.m. in Judge King’s court. The case gained great media coverage as it initially unfolded, but at the hearing last week, only the maternal grandmother of Kedrowitz sat in the courtroom. She noted, “This is tearing our family apart. It’s just been hard.” Prior to the pretrial hearing, Kedrowitz turned around and spoke to his grandmother. They had what appeared to be a casual conversation and a few smiles were exchanged. Ripley Publishing Co. was the only media in the courtroom.

Jury trial postponed for Osgood teen

Nickalas Kedrowitz Other News

A Ripley County jury convicted an Osgood teen of two counts of murder on Monday, according to court documents.

Nickalas Kedrowitz, 17, was found guilty of smothering his two siblings — his 23-month-old half-sister, Desiree McCartney, in May 2017 and his 11-month-old stepbrother, Nathaniel Ritz, in July 2017.

Kedrowitz was only 13 years old when the murders took place, but Indiana law allowed for him to be tried as an adult.

The teen now faces a sentence of 45-65 years for each count of murder. The sentencing is scheduled to take place on Nov. 10.

Southern Indiana teen convicted in murders of infant and toddler

Nickalas Kedrowitz More News

An Indiana teen is now facing dozens of years behind bars after a jury convicted him of killing two of his young siblings in 2017.

The verdict came down Friday, Aug. 20. The jury deliberated for just over six hours before finding Nickalas Kedrowitz guilty of murdering his 11-month-old stepbrother, Nathaniel Ritz, and nearly 2-year-old half-sister, Desiree McCartney. Kedrowitz was 13 years old at the time.

Investigators said Kedrowitz smothered the kids to death. Both were killed at the family’s home in Osgood, about 60 miles southeast of Indianapolis.

A judge previously found Kedrowitz competent to stand trial and ordered him to adult court. Indiana law allows juveniles as young as 12 to be tried as adults for murder.

Kedrowitz is set to be sentenced Nov. 10 in Ripley Circuit Court. He’s facing 45-65 years on each murder count. He is being held in the Ripley County Jail.

13News spoke with Christina McCartney, the mother of the children, in 2018.

“I’m grateful for the time I got to spend with my babies, but my heart breaks for the time that I am missing that has been taken from me, by the hands of my own son,” McCartney said, crying.

https://www.wthr.com/article/news/crime/ripley-county-teen-convicted-of-killing-2-young-siblings-in-2017/531-e09e66aa-3bfa-426d-9454-0cea3a281829

Nicklas Kedrowitz Sentencing

Nicklas Kedrowitz has been sentenced to 100 years behind bars. 

He was 13 when he murdered his 23-month-old sister, Desiree McCartney and his 11-month-old brother, Nathaniel Ritz. The two murders happened in May and June of 2017, only 81 days apart. 

Through the course of the investigation, police learned that Kedrowitz used a towel or blanket to smother the victims. 

In December of 2018, his mother was featured on an episode of Dr. Phil, where she defended her son’s actions, stating her son does not belong in jail, but would instead benefit from being in a mental health facility. During the same show, Dr. Phil shared a similar sentiment saying, “I think he should be tried as an adolescent, and I think he should be sent to a psychiatric facility for whatever time is necessary to get him help.”

However, a judge waived the case to adult court after Kedrowitz was found competent to stand trial. 

A Ripley County jury returned a guilty verdict against the now 17-year-old after a five-day August trial in Ripley Circuit Court. 

On Tuesday, following a three hour sentencing hearing, Kedrowitz was sentenced to 50 years for both counts of murder. 

The sentences were ordered by Judge King to be served Consecutively upon the recommendation of Prosecutor Ric Hertel.

https://www.eaglecountryonline.com/news/local-news/kedrowitz-sentencing/

Nicklas Kedrowitz Photos

Nicklas Kedrowitz