As more information surfaces in the Tuesday murder of a Cromwell man, officials say, the more unusual the case becomes.
"This is the most bizarre thing I've seen in my 30-plus years in law enforcement," said Kosciusko County Sheriff Rocky Goshert said. "I have never seen anything like this. I can't comprehend this."
Colt Lundy, 15; Paul Gingerich, 12; and Chase Williams, 12, allegedly plotted to kill Lundy's stepfather Phil Danner, 49, and then travel to Arizona and sell t-shirts to "drug guys."Originally, the boys planned to go to California, but for an unknown reason, the plan changed to Arizona.
The boys appeared in Kosciusko Juvenile Court Thursday afternoon, where Lundy and Gingerich were charged with murder. Williams faces aiding murder charges. A fourth juvenile, who has not been identified by police, reportedly has been interviewed and could face charges because he allegedly knew about the plan and went to view Danner's lifeless body at the 9219 E. Doswell Boulevard, Cromwell, home after the crime was committed.
Goshert said to this point, the juveniles have been "very unemotional, stoic. I don't think they understand the implications of what is about to transpire. It's sad."
According to Goshert, the timeline for the events after the murder are not definite, but he believes the crime occurred between 5 and 6:30 p.m.
Goshert said no one knows how long the boys has been planning the murder, but added "it's safe to say it was a plan and it wasn't just a spur of the moment thing."
Gingerich and Williams allegedly went to the Danner home after Lundy gave them a pre-determined signal, opening the shades in the window to his bedroom, to set the plan in motion.
After Lundy gave the signal, Williams reportedly helped hoist Gingerich into Lundy's bedroom window and then stayed outside while the other two boys carried out the plan.
Lundy reportedly had two of Danner's handguns - a .38-caliber revolver and a .40-caliber Glock semi-automatic - in his bedroom. Once Gingerich was inside Lundy's bedroom, the boys took the guns to the living room and waited for Danner to exit the kitchen.
As Danner walked toward the living room, the boys allegedly opened fire, hitting him four times, twice in the torso, once in the left wrist and once above the right eye.
After the shooting, Lundy stayed at his home and gathered items for the trip to Arizona.
Gingerich and Williams reportedly went to their respective homes and waited for Lundy to pick them up.
According to Goshert, Gingerich allegedly went home, ate dinner with his family "like a normal evening" and acted like he was going to bed. Once his mother went to bed, Gingerich reportedly snuck out of the house as Lundy waited outside in his mother's Dodge Neon.
Lundy's mother, Robin Danner, was in Florida at the time of the incident. Had she been home, Goshert said, the boys' plan was to tie her up and and cut the telephone lines in the home.
Williams also reportedly sneaked out of his home without his parents' knowledge and met Lundy and Gingerich before the trio headed west.
The boys traveled to Illinois, where they were detained by LaSalle County Police after an employee of a Wal-Mart, located just off I-80, reported a suspicious vehicle and some suspicious juveniles in the store.
LaSalle County officials found the .38 caliber revolver believed to be used in the murder in plain sight in the vehicle along with a small quantity of marijuana. Kosciusko County Police found a second gun, also believed to have been used in the crime, when they executed a search warrant on the car.
After talking with the juveniles, the Illinois detectives contacted the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department for a welfare check on Danner, who was found dead in the kitchen with multiple gunshot wounds. Lundy reportedly was in possession of marijuana when he was talking to police in Illinois.
Kosciusko County Prosecutor Dan Hampton explained that Lundy, Gingerich and Williams will be in court again Thursday at 2 p.m. for a waiver hearing to determine if the juvenile jurisdiction should be transferred to adult court. Hampton explained that if that jurisdiction is established, then the juveniles can be charged as adults pertaining to the respective crimes. Indiana law allows for juveniles from 10 years old and above to be waived as adults for murder if jurisdiction is established.
If the boys are waived to adult court, they will face charges in Kosciusko Circuit Court with Judge Rex Reed presiding.
To this point, Lundy has remained tight-lipped, and has not made statements to police.
Goshert said that Phil Danner reportedly "kept track of what (Lundy) was doing," and that was part of the motive for the shooting.
Goshert said the judge will decide where the boys, who currently are being held at Pierceton Woods Academy, are housed until they go to trial. If the boys are waived to adult court, they legally could be housed in the jail, but Goshert said because of their ages, the boys probably would be sent to a secure juvenile facility.
"These boys don't look like they are 12 years old," Goshert said. "Gingerich looks like he may be nine years old, and (Williams) looks like he is 11. The 15-year-old (Lundy) looks like he is 12 or 13."
Investigation of the crime is ongoing, and more charges are possible. Goshert said detectives have interviewed more individuals today in relation to the murder. He said there are potentially more individuals that might be involved with the murder or have knowledge related to the incident.
