Convicted Teenage Killer Talks About His Crime
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
CARLISLE - After six years, Gregory Joe Ousley decided to talk.
The 20-year-old Pierceton native has served six years of a 60-year prison term for murdering his mother and father Feb. 27, 1993. Jobie Ousley, 43, died in his sleep that night from a shotgun blast to the head, and Bonnie Ousley, also 43, suffered gunshot wounds to the side and head after bolting from her bed in an attempt to flee the attacker. Her body was found in a hallway of the family's East CR 500S home.
Greg Ousley, who is housed in maximum security at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility in Carlisle, south of Terre Haute, said recently that he wondered for a long time whether his mother knew who was behind the gun.
"My dad never woke up. My mom was a different story. I guess it all lasted about three minutes," Ousley said in a recent interview at the prison. "For a long time, I wondered if she knew it was me. I know she knew it was me."
The community was shocked when Ousley, then 14, gunned down his parents while they slept in their rural Pierceton home. After murdering his parents, Ousley went to a friend's house before contacting police to say his parents had been shot. Ousley at first tried to make police believe an intruder had been in the home.
However, a note found among Ousley's school work in his bedroom pointed to the teen-ager as the killer and eventually led investigators to the conclusion that the crime was premeditated.
Ousley said he was not able to admit, even to himself, why he did what he did that night until recently. He invited the Times-Union to conduct an interview because, he wrote in December: "For a long time I couldn't tell anyone why I did what I did (not even myself), but a little over a year ago I finally started to unravel all of the things I had been hiding inside my mind.
"Now I know why I committed the crime that I did ... I would like to start explaining in the community of where it all happened."
At the conclusion of a two-hour interview, though, the reason for the killings was not revealed.
Ousley did say, however, that the only reason he killed his father was because he didn't want to leave him alone.
"My mom sparked a lot of the things that finally caused this," he said. "I couldn't see doing this to my mom and leaving my dad there."
Investigators learned Ousley often fought with his parents about his dreams to become a musician (Greg said his parents wanted him to become involved in sports instead), his poor grades and the length of his hair.
Police said Greg told them he was angry because his parents wanted him to get up at 5 a.m. to shovel snow.
"They weren't really down on my music, they were proud of it," he said during the interview. "I didn't see it then, but I see it now." He also said that, "at times, like most 14-year-olds, I thought I was pretty grown up."
After killing his parents, Ousley said he put the gun to himself, "but I couldn't pull the trigger."
Greg said what he did had nothing to do with hatred or anger. He claims his mind and body were working independently of one another, that his mind wanted to stop what he was doing, but his body wouldn't let him.
"My mind was programmed to do this, like a robot ..." he said. "It happened and I had no way of stopping it."
Since the murders, Ousley said, he misses his two older sisters. He asked that their names not be used because they have already had to move from the Warsaw area "because people recognized them as sisters of me." He said one sister initially visited regularly, but they never really had a good visit. "I always knew something was not coming out," he said.
His other sister, however, "revealed everything - that she hated me, hated the past and doesn't think I'm sorry for anything I did."
He said he heard from his older sister earlier this month for the first time in two years. He occasionally hears from an aunt on his dad's side of the family, but has no contact with his mother's family.
"I don't want to say anything bad about my mom and dad at all because they weren't bad people," Ousley said.
"I know my mom and dad didn't do anything to intentionally hurt me," he said. "I intentionally took their lives, but I didn't want to hurt them."
Although Ousley said he is able to admit why he killed his parents: "I haven't forgiven my past. Look at my crime. I mean, I killed my own parents. There's not a word in the dictionary to describe how bad that is."
Ousley said he has received some counseling, but his crime was never discussed - his half-hour sessions were devoted to how he was adjusting to prison life. Counseling sessions took place every few weeks from February 1994 until August 1997, when the counselor left.
"I'm 20 years old and there are many things that I don't know how to handle," Ousley said. "Maybe my problems are just my problems. I think about the past and think, 'maybe I'm just full of crap.'
"I haven't given up completely," he added. "Basically I'm really very, very confused."
Referring to a letter he wrote at the time of his sentencing, Ousley said, "I wrote that letter six years ago. At that time, I had no idea of why I did what I did."
In the letter, dated Dec. 31, 1993, Ousley urged teen-agers to get help if they think they have a problem. "Tell someone about it," he wrote. "Tell your parents or councelors (sic) or teachers. Please tell someone that will listen to you. If the first person doesn't listen to you don't give up, try another person. It's your life and it's very important."
Today, he still thinks he can help others, as well as himself.
"They say that once you recognize the problems, you can go on to help yourself," Ousley said. "I'm glad I was able to figure it out, but I haven't figured out everything."
He added: "I'm no threat to anybody. I want to talk to teen-agers. I want to be used as an example of what could happen to them." Ousley said that many teenage problems "may seem like dumb things to parents or other adults, but to teens it seems like the world."
He said he sometimes sees a future for himself beyond prison but is resigned to the fact that he will likely be incarcerated for at least another 20 years. Prison terms in Indiana are served with one day of credit awarded for each day served on good behavior. Thus, Ousley's 60-year sentence would be completed in 30 years. He will also receive credit for education. He earned a GED in 1995 and will begin college courses this fall. If he serves a full 30 years, he would be 44 years old when he is released.
He would like, someday, to have his own record label and band and spends much of his time writing songs. He also has access to musical instruments and continues to play guitar, something both his father and grandfather did.
As far as returning to this community, Ousley said, "I loved it there. I loved the community, but I can't imagine walking the streets. ... There weren't any murders, especially kids murdering their parents. ... I'd love to go back, but I'm not welcome." [[In-content Ad]]
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CARLISLE - After six years, Gregory Joe Ousley decided to talk.
The 20-year-old Pierceton native has served six years of a 60-year prison term for murdering his mother and father Feb. 27, 1993. Jobie Ousley, 43, died in his sleep that night from a shotgun blast to the head, and Bonnie Ousley, also 43, suffered gunshot wounds to the side and head after bolting from her bed in an attempt to flee the attacker. Her body was found in a hallway of the family's East CR 500S home.
Greg Ousley, who is housed in maximum security at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility in Carlisle, south of Terre Haute, said recently that he wondered for a long time whether his mother knew who was behind the gun.
"My dad never woke up. My mom was a different story. I guess it all lasted about three minutes," Ousley said in a recent interview at the prison. "For a long time, I wondered if she knew it was me. I know she knew it was me."
The community was shocked when Ousley, then 14, gunned down his parents while they slept in their rural Pierceton home. After murdering his parents, Ousley went to a friend's house before contacting police to say his parents had been shot. Ousley at first tried to make police believe an intruder had been in the home.
However, a note found among Ousley's school work in his bedroom pointed to the teen-ager as the killer and eventually led investigators to the conclusion that the crime was premeditated.
Ousley said he was not able to admit, even to himself, why he did what he did that night until recently. He invited the Times-Union to conduct an interview because, he wrote in December: "For a long time I couldn't tell anyone why I did what I did (not even myself), but a little over a year ago I finally started to unravel all of the things I had been hiding inside my mind.
"Now I know why I committed the crime that I did ... I would like to start explaining in the community of where it all happened."
At the conclusion of a two-hour interview, though, the reason for the killings was not revealed.
Ousley did say, however, that the only reason he killed his father was because he didn't want to leave him alone.
"My mom sparked a lot of the things that finally caused this," he said. "I couldn't see doing this to my mom and leaving my dad there."
Investigators learned Ousley often fought with his parents about his dreams to become a musician (Greg said his parents wanted him to become involved in sports instead), his poor grades and the length of his hair.
Police said Greg told them he was angry because his parents wanted him to get up at 5 a.m. to shovel snow.
"They weren't really down on my music, they were proud of it," he said during the interview. "I didn't see it then, but I see it now." He also said that, "at times, like most 14-year-olds, I thought I was pretty grown up."
After killing his parents, Ousley said he put the gun to himself, "but I couldn't pull the trigger."
Greg said what he did had nothing to do with hatred or anger. He claims his mind and body were working independently of one another, that his mind wanted to stop what he was doing, but his body wouldn't let him.
"My mind was programmed to do this, like a robot ..." he said. "It happened and I had no way of stopping it."
Since the murders, Ousley said, he misses his two older sisters. He asked that their names not be used because they have already had to move from the Warsaw area "because people recognized them as sisters of me." He said one sister initially visited regularly, but they never really had a good visit. "I always knew something was not coming out," he said.
His other sister, however, "revealed everything - that she hated me, hated the past and doesn't think I'm sorry for anything I did."
He said he heard from his older sister earlier this month for the first time in two years. He occasionally hears from an aunt on his dad's side of the family, but has no contact with his mother's family.
"I don't want to say anything bad about my mom and dad at all because they weren't bad people," Ousley said.
"I know my mom and dad didn't do anything to intentionally hurt me," he said. "I intentionally took their lives, but I didn't want to hurt them."
Although Ousley said he is able to admit why he killed his parents: "I haven't forgiven my past. Look at my crime. I mean, I killed my own parents. There's not a word in the dictionary to describe how bad that is."
Ousley said he has received some counseling, but his crime was never discussed - his half-hour sessions were devoted to how he was adjusting to prison life. Counseling sessions took place every few weeks from February 1994 until August 1997, when the counselor left.
"I'm 20 years old and there are many things that I don't know how to handle," Ousley said. "Maybe my problems are just my problems. I think about the past and think, 'maybe I'm just full of crap.'
"I haven't given up completely," he added. "Basically I'm really very, very confused."
Referring to a letter he wrote at the time of his sentencing, Ousley said, "I wrote that letter six years ago. At that time, I had no idea of why I did what I did."
In the letter, dated Dec. 31, 1993, Ousley urged teen-agers to get help if they think they have a problem. "Tell someone about it," he wrote. "Tell your parents or councelors (sic) or teachers. Please tell someone that will listen to you. If the first person doesn't listen to you don't give up, try another person. It's your life and it's very important."
Today, he still thinks he can help others, as well as himself.
"They say that once you recognize the problems, you can go on to help yourself," Ousley said. "I'm glad I was able to figure it out, but I haven't figured out everything."
He added: "I'm no threat to anybody. I want to talk to teen-agers. I want to be used as an example of what could happen to them." Ousley said that many teenage problems "may seem like dumb things to parents or other adults, but to teens it seems like the world."
He said he sometimes sees a future for himself beyond prison but is resigned to the fact that he will likely be incarcerated for at least another 20 years. Prison terms in Indiana are served with one day of credit awarded for each day served on good behavior. Thus, Ousley's 60-year sentence would be completed in 30 years. He will also receive credit for education. He earned a GED in 1995 and will begin college courses this fall. If he serves a full 30 years, he would be 44 years old when he is released.
He would like, someday, to have his own record label and band and spends much of his time writing songs. He also has access to musical instruments and continues to play guitar, something both his father and grandfather did.
As far as returning to this community, Ousley said, "I loved it there. I loved the community, but I can't imagine walking the streets. ... There weren't any murders, especially kids murdering their parents. ... I'd love to go back, but I'm not welcome." [[In-content Ad]]