GUILTY IN - Four Pelley family members murdered, Lakeville, 28 April 1989 seeks new trial

Dark Knight · Jul 12, 2006

Supreme Court: Trial of man accused of killing family can proceed

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) The trial of a man charged with killing four people 17 years ago is scheduled to begin on Monday.

The accused man, Jeffrey Pelley, said the delays in his trial have violated his due process. But the Indiana Supreme Court unanimously rejected that argument and said the trial can get under way.

Pelley is accused of killing his father, stepmother and two stepsisters at the family's home in Lakeville, about 10 miles south of South Bend, on the day of Pelley's senior prom. At the time of the killings, Pelley was 17.

He was considered a suspect nearly from the start, but an apparent lack of evidence led to the delay in an arrest being made. Pelley has said all along he is innocent.

http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5121446

Dark Knight · Jul 22, 2006

A jury convicted a man Friday of killing his father, stepmother and two stepsisters 17 years ago inside their church parsonage home so he could attend some high school prom events.

The St. Joseph County jury found Jeffrey Pelley, now 34, guilty on four counts of murder after deliberating more than 25 hours since Wednesday. Pelley faces up to 260 years in prison when he is sentenced Sept. 15.

Prosecutors accused Pelley, a high school senior at the time, of using a shotgun to kill his father, the Rev. Robert Pelley; stepmother, Dawn; and stepsisters, Janel, 8, and Jolene, 6, in April 1989 at their home next to the Olive Branch Church of the United Brethren in Lakeville, about 10 miles south of South Bend.

Investigators said Pelley was angry because his father had grounded him for stealing and would allow him to attend only the prom dance, causing him to miss a prom dinner, a bowling alley party and an outing the next day at an amusement park outside Chicago.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060722/ap_on_re_us/family_killed&printer=1

PrayersForMaura · Jun 13, 2007

Murder in the Family, All for the Prom

Two Decades Later, a Grisly Indiana Murder Is Finally Solved

17 years ago, four members of the Pelley family, seen above, were brutally murdered in their home. The case has finally been solved, and Jeff Pelley (top row, center) is now serving 160 years in prison for the crime. (ABC News)

....

A murder spree that took four lives was finally solved without the high-tech CSI or DNA evidence. A prosecution depended upon the old saw of motive and opportunity, and a community determined not to forget the minister, his wife and their two little girls.
Jeff is appealing the verdict. He is currently sentenced to 40 years for each murder, for a total of 160 years.
Jacque Pelley, Jeff's sister, is looking for anyone with information that might help exonerate her brother. Please visit www.JusticeforJeff.org to contact her.

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=3255186

ckwood32 · Jul 30, 2009

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=3255186&page=1

I want to start a thread on this because it's a very interesting case. Personally I believe this guy did kill his family so he could go to the prom. So sad he had to kill his sisters as well! I didn't find a thread for him - so please let me know if one has been started.

ckwood32 · Jul 30, 2009

http://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai=...oxMR8Dxhz7l8w&q=http://www.justiceforjeff.org
I hope this link works. Justice for Jeff started by his sister Jacque. At the bottom it states Innocence Project is has agreed to take his case.

ckwood32 · Jul 30, 2009

http://www.in.gov/judiciary/opinions/pdf/02190901trb.pdf
Robert Jeffrey Pelley vs State of Indiana - he appealed his convictions for the murders of his father, stepmother and two stepsisters.

ckwood32 · Jul 30, 2009

http://www.wsbt.com/news/local/26952739.html
Supreme Court hears arguments in Jeff Pelley case.

ckwood32 · Jul 30, 2009

http://www.sptimes.com/2002/08/13/Pasco/Son_arrested_in_famil.shtml
Sorry these articles aren't in order - article regarding Jeff's arrest - 13 years after the murders.

ckwood32 · Jul 30, 2009

http://www.wndu.com/localnews/headlines/26925674.html
Short article but interesting comments from locals. I can't believe it took 13 years to bring this to justice.

ckwood32 · Jul 30, 2009

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/194307
another article

ckwood32 · Jul 30, 2009

http://www.wndu.com/home/headlines/26969889.htm
People commenting about his article seem to think that because he went to church - he couldn't be capable of something like this! I think he had a serious argument with his father regarding the Prom and he snapped and killed him. He then had to kill the rest of the family because they saw what happened.

ckwood32 · Jul 30, 2009

http://books.google.com/books?id=If...q_mLEM&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2
hopefully this link works! I haven't read the book but I bet it's interesting. Anyone else read it? Prom Date Murders?

Boyz_Mum · Jul 30, 2009

Thank you for posting this case ckwood32. I have to read all the links, thanks for providing them!:blowkiss:

ckwood32 · Jul 30, 2009

You are welcome Boyz Mum!

SleuthyMama · Jul 31, 2009

Yeah, thanks for starting this thread ck. And for bringing attention to this case....I had never heard of it before.

I'm a big proponent of going with my gut feelings on things. Sometimes I am wrong and when that happens I'm the first to admit it. But more often than not, my gut is right on the money.

I'm going to read all ck's links and let y'all know what my gut has to say about it lol.

colette · Jul 31, 2009

I have read the book and I know the case very well. There were things that pointed to premeditated murder, not snapping. He had permission to go to the prom but not the dinner before or the amusement park the next day. His dad was going to drive Jeff and his date to the prom and had taken the insurance off Jeff's car. But supposedly his dad had changed his mind. Even one of the stepsisters who was away for the night of the murders knew Jeff would be at the amusement park that next day and told this to the police.
There was also the question of where the gun came from..and where it went.

Then again the timeline was tight. He had just 20 minutes to murder 4 people, clean up, get rid of the gun, drive into town, go to a gas station, fiddle with his car and then make it to his girlfriend's house. Ok the drive alone takes 10 minutes or longer.

Then there was the unknown reason that Pastor Pelley moved his family to Indiana from Florida. He was a banker, suddenly becomes a minister and leaves Florida in the middle of the night. Someone who was from his past in Florida also just happened to get murdered the day before the Pelley murders.

The people murdered were Jeff's father, stepmother and 2 younger stepsisters. Mr Pelley had recently married his wife, so it was a quickly blended family. A full sister to Jeff and another stepsister were away from the home that night.

There was also some question on whether the murders happened the night of the prom or the next day. The shower was still wet when the bodies were found, who washed up when??? Was it still wet from the day before?

Kat · Jul 31, 2009

Colette do you recall the name of the book? I would like to read it as well. TIA

ckwood32 · Jul 31, 2009

Kat said:
Colette do you recall the name of the book? I would like to read it as well. TIA

Amazon.com: The Prom Night Murders: A Devoted American Family, their Troubled Son, and a Ghastly Crime (St. Martin's True Crime Library) (9780312947248): Carlton Smith: Books
Prom Night Murders. From everything I read - the Father stated the day of the Prom Jeff wasn't allowed to drive his car to the prom - Jeff was washing it and his Father asked him why - he wasn't taking it. A friend of Jeff's Father also told him he rigged Jeff's car somehow so it wouldn't operate properly - which is why Jeff went to a gas station looking for tools/cardboard to somehow fix his car. Plus - no insurance on the car- why would the Dad all of a sudden say "go ahead and drive your car -I've changed my mind - there's no insurance and I rigged it, but have a good time".

Knox · Jul 31, 2009

I probably won't order the book, so for the sake of discussion, was Jeff a troubled youth? Did he have a juvenile record? Where was his birth mother? Colette can you give more details on the family's life in Florida and why they left?

Court case records answered most of my questions. I think this young man killed his family, so very sad, but he had both motive and opportunity. I do however find it strange that the neighbor's noticed so many details; kids were not out playing, drapes were drawn, basement light on, dog was on chain and not in kennel, etc. But no one heard five shotgun blasts?

His clothing in the washer (that he was known to have worn that day) was significant for me. How many 17 year old boy's put only four items in a washer load? Anyway, just a few comments after reading parts of the very brief case record.

nursebeeme · Jul 31, 2009

ck,
Thanks for starting this thread. I just read the abc story. Something wasn't right in whoville... that is for sure... I do find the info that you posted, Colette, very interesting. I guess I have to buy that book!!

GUILTY IN - Four Pelley family members murdered, Lakeville, 28 April 1989 *seeks new trial*

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GUILTY IN - Four Pelley family members murdered, Lakeville, 28 April 1989 seeks new trial