Indiana Infamy

Murder, Madness, and Mayhem in the Hoosier State

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This Day in Infamy: Birth of a Legend

John Herbert Dillinger was born June 22, 1903, in Indianapolis, to grocer John Wilson Dillinger and his wife Mollie. As a child, he lived in the Oak Hill neighborhood and attended Public School #38. Later, he attended Arsenal Technical High School, only to drop out at age 16. Concerned that his son was falling in with a bad crowd, Dillinger Sr. bought a farm and moved the family to Mooresville.…

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#IndianaMan Arrested After Attempting to Slash Prices (and People) at Walmart

An Indiana man is in trouble after allegedly threatening people with a hatchet at an Indianapolis Wal-Mart. According to court documents, Randy Jent, 38, was trying to “save money, live better” at the east side superstore on April 9th when he was spotted stuffing merchandise into his backpack. Loss prevention employees responded, following Jent through the store while also calling an off-duty…

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True Crime Trivia: Dillinger the Athlete

While serving time in Pendleton for the assault and robbery of a Mooresville grocer, homegrown gangster John Dillinger joined the reformatory’s baseball team. He was reportedly a very good player and manned third base for the “Reformatory Nine,” as they were called. Unfortunately, his time on the correctional facility field was cut short when, after being denied parole, he requested a transfer to…

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Laundry is the Least of This Woman's Problems

Police say an Indiana woman fired a gun at an appliance repairman in a dispute over her dryer’s warranty. Reba LaJoy Wilson, 43, of Indianapolis, called a repairman to fix her dryer on March 18th. According to court documents, when Nate Baird arrived at Wilson’s home, he found the machine already disassembled. In response to his questions, Wilson admitted that he would actually be the second…

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Saturday's Circle Centre Mall Mass Shooting: What We Know So Far

Indianapolis police were patrolling downtown around 11:30 Saturday night when gunfire shattered the peace of the Mile Square. Tracking the assault to the intersection of Illinois and West Maryland Streets, just outside Circle Centre Mall, officers located a group of six teens ranging in ages from 12 – 16. All six had been shot. Emergency services rushed the juveniles to area hospitals. Five of…

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This Day in Infamy: The Disappearance of Steven Hale

Steven Spurlin Hale was last seen alive near the Downtown Indianapolis Library on this day in 1994. Just over two years later, his remains were among those found at the Westfield estate of serial killer, Herb Baumeister. Steven was only 28 when he died.

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In Their Own Words: Belle Gunness

LaPorte’s Lady Bluebeard, Belle Gunness, lured lonely men onto her farm with the promise of matrimony, only to rob and kill them soon after they arrived. Belle met these unlucky men through personal ads she placed in newspapers across the country. The one pictured below appeared in the Salina Daily Union (Kansas), circa 1906.

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In Their Own Words: John Dillinger

“I rob banks for a living, what do you do?” – notorious gangster, bank robber, and Indianapolis native, John Dillinger (seen here at 18).

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This Day in Infamy: 1898

From the Friday, March 25, 1898 edition of The Indianapolis Journal:

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This Day in Infamy: High School Students Commit Grisly Killing

On February 4, 1989, the body of mortally-wounded Eldon T. Anson was found lying in the snow near his home in Huntington County. Still clinging to life, he was taken to Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne where he died three days later. It was determined he had suffered six head wounds from a .22 calibur gun, as well as deep lacerations to his skull and hands caused by an ax. Three high school…

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Sex Sting Nabs New Whiteland Church Elder

“Nick from Bargersville, happily married, two children. Work at a local church, and a seminary student!” – Nicholas Jackson, accused sex offender WWJD? Probably not attempt to hook up with an underage girl, like this elderof Grace Bible Church in New Whiteland allegedly did. Law enforcement officials say Nicholas Jackson, 39, began texting an undercover detective posing as a 14-year-old girl in…

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In Their Own Words: Jared Fogle

Trigger Warning: Frank Discussion of Child Sexual Abuse Fogle, pictured outside the Birch Bayh Federal Building in Indianapolisshortly before his sentencing on child porn charges. (2015) “Would you, would you, would you let me… Will you let me see your kids naked?” – Jared Fogle in a recorded phone call to journalist and informant Rochelle Herman-Walrond, whose children were 10 and 11 at the…

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In Their Own Words: Katie Fogle

“You know, he was home with the kids and I in one life, and he was out on the road in a different life, and he was able to keep those two very separate in a way that I couldn’t even fathom.” Katie McLaughlin Fogle, Jared Fogle’s Ex-Wife #2

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Jared Fogel, Part 3: Jeckyll, Hyde, and The Jared Foundation

Jared was 13 when this photo was taken, already older than the victims he later preferred. There have always been two Jared Fogles. It’s impossible to determine when Subway’s slimmed-down spokesman first began using his money and fame to indulge his twisted desires. What is certain, however, is that by the time of his 2015 arrest, Jared Fogle had lived a Jekyll-and-Hyde existence for most of…

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Jared Fogle, Part 2: The Rise of an Unlikely Celebrity

Fogel and his famous pants with a 60-inch waist. By 2015, Jared Fogle was riding high. Not only was he worth a reported 15 million dollars, but he’d also managed to accomplish quite a lot for a man without any obvious talent. After starving himself thin, he’d also appeared in the hundreds of commercials, toured the country as a motivational speaker, helped carry the Olympic torch through his…

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Jared Fogle: From Subway Spokesman to Statutory Rapist* (Part 1)

Jared Fogle: A man of many body types but few morals For more than a century, the advertising world has been ruled by corporate mascots – smiling, often cartoonish characters designed to increase brand awareness and boost sales. But, of course, no matter how hard ad agencies try, all mascots are not created equal. Although some go on to become cultural icons, many others are quietly retired with…

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This Day in Infamy: Death was the Punishment for Poor Grades

People who knew father David Wayne Johnson, 50, described him as “an excellent employee who took an active interest in his son.” That “active interest” resulted in him beating the boy to death.On Monday, March 4, 2002, Johnson received a call from one of his son’s teachers at Prarie Heights High School. The teacher wanted to touch base because he was concerned about Kyle’s performance in class,…

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