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.
Tag: Indianapolis
January 1975: Thrill Killer Records A Murder
Roger Lynn had a bit of a reputation as a young teen. He was a well-known “chronic truant” with some very strange hobbies. Rather than obsess over cars, sports, or any number of the other, more socially-acceptable hobbies available to boys in the late 1960s, Roger preferred over-indulging in pornography, guns, and the macabre stories of Edgar Allen Poe. He played cruel jokes on his family, like putting mineral oil in his grandfather’s liquor bottles. Then there was his disturbing habit of killing pets… a couple of dogs here, a cat or duck there.
Neighbors, acquaintances, and even his own mother believed there was something was strange – and possibly even dangerous – about the boy.
Time passed. Lynn grew up, but he didn’t move on. At nineteen, his life remained roughly the same as it had been as an adolescent. Although he managed to marry, he continued living with his mother. He briefly held a job but quit within six months. He still fetishized porn, guns, and Poe. Even his best friend was the same. Lynn and Orval Lee Baker had been buddies ever since elementary school. They remained close right up until the moment Lynn shot him, making sure to get it all on tape.
According to the audio diary he kept at the time, Lynn became fixated on assassination following the deaths of the Kennedys and Martin Luther King, Jr. In a rambling, unfocused entry the day before the murder, he recited bible verses then discussed his “urge to kill.”
I will now describe a little of my plan. I will bring Lee Baker up here and have him look at these books I’ve got up here – pornographic books, magazines – then while he is looking (at them) I will shoot him once in the chest area and once in the head.
Later, he continued:
Report, it is 10 minutes after two. Lee doesn’t have to be at work until 4:30. I called up and he is supposed to come down in a few minutes. I will record the entire incident today, and there will be music in the bacground to hopefully cover up some of the noise, the two shots, so I will leave off now until I resume with the recording of the assassination.
Because he planned to kill himself after the murder, Lynn recorded a goodbye message for his wife. Then ELO’s song “Evil Woman” abruptly began playing into the tape. There was a roar of a rifle and the sound of a shell casing hitting the ground. A few seconds later, another shot.
Reluctant to relinquish what he no doubt saw as his moment in the spotlight, Lynn recorded another message for his wife. “This is it,” he vowed. “I’m sorry, but I have to do this Linda. Goodbye, Linda.”
However, that wasn’t “it” for Roger Lynn. Upon closer review, the would-be wordsmith decided not to kill himself but to call the police and confess instead. When officers arrived at the crime scene, he turned over his weapon and surrendered without incident. Scratched into the rifle’s stock was a single word: Nevermore.
Despite an insanity plea, a jury found Lynn guilty of first degree murder 0n September 29, 1976. He died in prison while serving a life sentence.
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.
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.
This Day in Infamy: Charles Manson in Juvenile Court
March 7, 1949 – Charles Manson, a 14-year-old petty criminal from Indianapolis, learned Juvenile Court Judge Joseph O. Hoffman had granted his request to be transferred to Boys Town in Nebraska. Local priest Reverend George Powers, who helped facilitate the request, referred to the future cult leader and mass murderer as “a very genuine lost little kid.”
Breaking News: Chuck E. Cheese – A Traumatizing Place to Be a Kid
At least, that was the case for patrons when a murder occurred at a Chuck E. Cheese on Indianapolis’s far eastside early Sunday evening.
Shots were reportedly fired from outside into the children’s-birthday-themed restaurant around 5:30 p.m, shattering an exterior window and creating chaos as children screamed and parents attempted to rush them to safety. One witness, Jessie Humphries, said she tried to escape out a back door only to find it locked.
“After that, nobody knew where to run, didn’t know who in the building was shooting,” said another woman who was there celebrating the birthday of her twin granddaughters.
Thankfully, only one casualty occurred. A man tentatively identified as Anthony Tinnin was found dead in the parking lot. Police believe he had been inside the Chuck E. Cheese then walked outside shortly before the shooting started. It’s unknown at this time if he was intentionally targeted.
Many of the children present were further tramatized when they saw the victim’s body as they exited the scene.
The perpetrators fled in a white SUV and remain at-large.
Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to contact IMPD Detective Lottie Patrick at 317-327-3475 or lottie.patrick@indy.gov. You can also anonymously leave information with the Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana by calling 317-262-TIPS (8477).
Nursing Home Resident Charged with Rape and Murder of 80-yr-old Hospice Patient
Last Wednesday, February 9th, 60-year-old Dwayne Anthony Freeman faced his initial court appearance in connection with the rape and murder of a fellow nursing home resident.
An employee of Homestead Healthcare Center entered the room of 80-yr-old Patricia Newnum in the early morning hours of February 2nd to distribute medication. It was then that another resident, Freeman, was discovered on top of Newnum. He appeared to be having sex with the hospice patient while holding a pillow over her face. When confronted, Freeman reportedly smelled of alcohol and “rambled incoherently.” He reacted violently when an empty bottle was found in his room.
Newnum was subsequently declared dead in her bed, and an autopsy later ruled her death a homicide. She had died from asphyxiation due to smothering.
According to prosecutors, Freeman’s story changed several times before he finally admitted to having intercourse with the victim but claimed it was consensual and initiated by Newnum. However, employees of the facility told police that before her death, Newnum was unable to move on her own and her ability to speak was limited. Freeman also had a history of speaking inappropriately to women during the three months he’d lived at the facility. Incredibly, he’d even told staff the night before the assault that he was “going to get me a woman tonight.”
An automatic not-guily plea was entered on Freeman’s behalf Wednesday, and a public defender was assigned to him. It’s unknown at this time if the facility will face negligence charges in connection with Newnum’s death. Local news station WTHR reports that the facility, located at 7465 Madison Avenue, faced more than $100,ooo in federal fines last year. Federal site Medicare.gov states it has received 26 complaints that resulted in citations against Homestead Healthcare Center within the last three years.
Dwayne Freeman is scheduled to appear in court again March 30th.
Missing: Family Searching for Indianapolis Woman
An Indianapolis man is still searching for his daughter tonight. Father Lane Seymour last saw 33-year-old Paris Williamson at her Avalon Lake apartment January 30th. On February 4th, after receiving a call from her employer stating that she had not been to work all week, her family became alarmed by the out-of-character behavior and reported her missing to police. The resulting wellness check did not locate either Paris or her vehicle, but her mailbox was full and its contents reportedly included important personal documents, such as a W2 form.
Police believe Paris’s vehicle was last seen traveling southbound at Emerson Ave. and County Line Rd. on January 31st, the day after she last spoke with her family. Her car, a silver 2008 Chevy Impala with license plate 394NFV, has not been seen since. Tips claiming Paris was seen with an older man at the Horseshoe Indianapolis Casino in Shelbyville on January 31st are currently being investigated.
Paris Williamson is 33-years-old and has long, brown hair and brown eyes. She stands 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weighs 175 pounds. Authorities believe she was wearing a red Nike jacket when she disappeared.
Anyone with information about Paris is urged to contact the IMPD Missing Persons Unit at 317-327-6160. You can also call Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477 to remain anonymous.
Indiana Infamy 