Thrill killer Roger Lynn kept an audio diary of his “very deep thoughts.” On that diary, police found the following poem:
The bullet enters its chest,
Then pierces lungs, heart and breast,
The second shot comes thundering through,
And brains and skull are thrown astrew;
The man lies bleeding and dying,
Crying of happiness, victory at last,
Victory from the second blast.
Category: Marion County
Video of 2019 Fight Involving Judges at a White Castle
Video of the 2019 brawl involving three Indiana judges was released this week, once again reminding everyone once that nothing positive can come from being at a White Castle after 3 AM.
According to court testimony, Clark County Circuit Court judges Andrew Adams and Brad Jacobs, as well as Crawford County Circuit Court Judge Sabrina Bell, were visiting Indianapolis in May of that year for a judicial conference. The night before the conference, they decided to have some drinks and to see the sites – namely, the Red Garter strip club. Unfortunately, the booty bar was already closed when they arrived…which is how they wound up at an adjacent White Castle instead.
While a fourth member of their group, Clark County Magistrate William Dawkins, went inside for a sack of sliders, the others waited out on the sidewalk. Security cameras caught the intoxicated trio’s antics as Adams and Jacobs then proceeded to mimic an exotic dance for Bell. Judge Adams even went so far as to flash his Honor’s manboobs. Twice.
Things only went downhill from there.
Alfredo Vazquez (23) and his uncle Brandon Kaiser (41) drove into the White Castle parking lot a moment later. As they passed the judges, one of the men yelled something out the window, which motivated Bell to give them the finger.
Vazquez parked the SUV, and both he and Kaiser exited the vehicle. Words were exchanged. The confrontation abruptly turned physical when, the Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications later determined, Judge Adams and Judge Jacobs rushed Kaiser and Vazquez, setting off a 2v2 brawl. The very public fight ended with Kaiser shooting Jacobs two times in the chest and Adams once in the abdomen.
Fortunately, both judges recovered from their extensive injuries. Multiple criminal charges were filed in connection with the melee.
Andrew Adams, the only judge charged and whose blood alcohol content was 0.157 upon his admission to the hospital, pleaded guilty to one count of misdemeanor battery. He was sentenced to 365 days, with two days credited for jail time served and 363 days suspended. In addition, the Indiana Supreme Court decided he should be suspended without pay for judicial misconduct. He later lost his bid for reelection.
As part of a plea agreement, Alfredo Vazquez pleaded guilty to a single charge of battery. He received 180 days of home detention plus another year on probation for violating his already-existing probation.
Sabrina Bell did not face any criminal repercussions, although she was also suspended without pay. Then, earlier this year in a completely separate event, she was arrested and charged with domestic battery in the presence of a child, a Level 6 felony. The high court suspended her again. Rather than face another ethics probe, Bell agreed to resign, forfeit her law license for 150 days, and to not “seek or accept judicial office in Indiana state courts in the future.”
A grand jury refused to indict Jacobs. He served a suspension for behaving in a way that “discredited the entire Indiana judiciary” then returned to the bench.
Gunman Brandon Kaiser was recently found guilty of four counts of aggravated battery, two counts of battery, battery, and carrying a handgun without a license. He is expected to be sentenced in October.
Suspect Arrested in Shooting of Dutch Soldiers
An Indianapolis man has been arrested for the shooting of three Dutch soldiers.
According to a news release from the Indianapolis Metro Police Department, Shamar Duncan, 22, is the man suspected of killing one Royal Netherlands Army soldier and wounding two others last weekend.
At approximately three-thirty Saturday morning, officers were called to the scene of a shooting outside the downtown Hampton Inn, two blocks south of Monument Circle. The gunshot victims were rushed to a local hospital where one of them, Simmie Poetsema, 26, later died. The other two soldiers were treated for non-life threatening wounds. Although the shooting occurred at the hotel where the victims were staying, detectives believe the men were deliberately targeted because of an earlier altercation at a separate location.
Members of the Royal Netherlands Army’s Commando Corps were in town for a combat exercise at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center, a 1,000-acre military complex outside of Indianapolis. The Indiana National Guard reportedly stated the facility is used for training by the Department of Defense “as well as other allies.”
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact IMPD Homicide Detective Michael Wright at 317-327-3475 or email Michael.Wright@indy.gov .
Man Sentenced to 35 Years for Death of 8-yr-old
A Cumberland man was sentenced yesterday in connection with the death of his girlfriend’s daughter.
On the afternoon of April 6, 2020, Cumberland Police were called to a residence in the 11000 block of Kirkwood Drive after first responders reported a child in cardiac arrest. Brooklyn Mendheim, 8, was rushed to the hospital, where she later died. One of the nurses who treated her told police she had “extensive, fresh injuries” of the type usually seen in victims of physical and sexual abuse.
The child’s mother, Kimberly Grosklos, and Derrick Duane Dale, Grosklos’s boyfriend, initially tried to convince police the child had intentionally drowned herself in the bathtub. However, one of the other three kids – ages 11, 9 and 4- who were removed from the home broke down in tears and told authorities Brooklyn had been beaten with jumper cables shortly before her death.
An autopsy determined there was no water in the girl’s lungs. Her cause of death was ruled to be caused by nonaccidental trauma and suffocation.
Kimberly Grosklos, 34, received a 20-year sentence earlier this month after pleading guilty to neglect of a dependent resulting in death.
Last month, a jury found 31-year-old Dale, guilty of aggravated battery resulting in death, neglect of a dependent resulting in a death, and battery resulting in serious bodily injury to a person less than 14 years old. He was sentenced on Friday to 35 years.
Woman Runs Over Boyfriend Three Times, Gets Arrested for Murder
An Indianapolis woman has been charged with murder after killing her boyfriend because she found him with another woman.
A little after midnight Friday, IMPD officers responded to a call concerning a dispute in the parking lot of Tilly’s Pub in the 3900 block of East 82nd Street. When they arrived, they found Andre Smith, 26, pinned beneath a car. He later died at the scene.
According to court documents, Gaylyn J. Morris, 26, used an Apple AirTag to follow Smith because she suspected him of cheating. She tracked him to the pub, where she found him in the company of another woman. Morris then grabbed an empty wine bottle and swung it at the unidentified woman, but Smith stepped between them and grabbed the bottle.
The three of them were then asked to leave.
While Smith’s companion stayed inside to wait for a food order, Smith and Morris stepped outside. The probable cause affidavit states Morris got into her Impala and “pulled forward and clipped the victim (Smith), and he went down, at which time… (Morris) then backed over him and then pulled forward and hit him for the third time.” With Smith still trapped under the vehicle, she got out of her car and again attempted to attack the other woman before being detained by police.
Morris is currently being held on a preliminary charge without bond. IMPD is asking anyone who witnessed the crime to call homicide detectives at 317-327-3475.
MISSING: Indy Mother and Child
Police are asking the public to help locate a missing Indianapolis woman and her daughter.
Erica Rios, 43, was last seen Friday, May 20th. The next day, her car was seen traveling west on Interstate 70 near SR 39 in Hendricks County, but it’s unclear if she was driving. Angel Holmes, 11, is believed to be with her mother, and family members are deeply concerned about them.
Erica Rios is described as 5 feet, 3 inches tall and 133 pounds. She has black hair and hazel eyes. Her daughter Angel is 4 feet, 3 inches tall and weighs 70 pounds. She also has black hair and hazel eyes. Police do not know what they were wearing at the time they disappered.
Anyone with information on their whereabouts is urged to call 911 immediately, or contact the IMPD missing persons unit at 317-327-6160.
Not Guilty Plea Entered For Cop Accused of Grabbing Guy’s Balls
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department has hit a bit of a rough patch lately. First, a 22-year veteran of the force was arrested for being the proud owner of a weed growing operation, and now a second officer is in trouble.
This time for squeezing a man’s genitals.
The alleged incident occurred Feb. 10 when multiple IMPD officers, including Travis Lewis, responded to a reported burglary in progress on the 8200 block of E. 21st St. Although officers determined there was no burglary, 43-year-old Paul Johnson, Jr. was arrested for invasion of privacy. One of the other officers present at the scene later reported Lewis used “unnecessary and excessive” force while taking Johnson into custody. Specifically, he alleged Lewis threw the handcuffed Johnson to the ground, grabbed the man’s testicles through his boxer shorts twice, and twisted them in an attempt to elicit compliance.
The report also said Johnson never forcibly resisted or posed any danger to law enforcement. He simply refused to cooperate by stiffening his legs and passively resisting attempts to put him in a squad car.
Statements from other officers present and released body cam footage appear to corroborate the accusations against Lewis. At one point in the video, Johnson can be heard asking to be taken to a hospital because “my balls is bleeding.”
The former (?) Officer Lewis faces one felony count of official misconduct and two misdemeanor counts of battery with bodily injury in connection with the incident. He is currently suspended without pay pending a recommendation for termination.
This Day in Infamy: Birth of a Serial Killer
April 7, 1947 – On this day in Indiana Infamy, Herbert Richard Baumeister was born in Indianapolis to Herbert E. Baumeister and his wife Elizabeth. Almost 50 years later, he was posthumously identified as a serial killer believed to have been responsible for the deaths of at least a dozen men, some of whom he disposed of on his Westfield property.
IMPD Officer Charged in Growing Operation
In one of several recent embarrassing incidents for citizens of the Hoosier state, an officer of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department has been charged in connection with a marijuana growing operation she set up in her own home.
22-year veteran officer Christina Slack contributed to her own downfall when IMPD police were sent to the 2900 block of S. Pasadena St. on Dec. 27, 2021 for a domestic disturbance. When the responding officers arrived at Slack’s residence, she informed them her boyfriend, Jamel Owens, had attacked her. As he was being taken into custody, Owens informed the arresting officers that they should check the back badroom of the house for marijuana.
Police received a search warrant for the premises and found 18 marijuana plants growing in a tent with fans and an air filtration system. According to court records, the pot weighed 1,285.2 grams. Psychedelic mushrooms were also found in the search, as well as marijuana seeds and paraphernalia. Text messages and cell phone videos sent between the couple confirmed Slack’s involvement in the grow operation.
Jamel Owens was charged with two counts of domestic battery and one count of criminal mischief stemming from the alleged assault. Those charges were dismissed earlier this month.
However, Officer Slack and Owens both still face charges on two misdemeanor counts of possession of marijuana — growing, and growing on-premise while failing to destroy. No charges were filed in connection with the mushrooms, paraphrenalia, or any intent to distribute the more than 45 ounces of pot.
Slack has been suspended pending a recommendation of termination to the Civilian Police Merit Board.
Missing: Nahum Smith
Indianapolis Metro PD is asking for help locating a missing man.
36-year-old Nahum Smith was last seen February 18 near the Greyhound station at 350 S. Illinois Street. He is 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weighs approximately 150 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes. At the time of his disappearance, he was wearing a black and gray hoodie, white thermal shirt, tan pants, and socks under a pair of slippers.
Anyone with information concerning the whereabouts of Mr. Smith is asked to call 911.
Indiana Infamy 