IN - Velia 'Val' Taneff, 86, & Lana Taneff, 63, strangled, Calumet Twp, 17 Jan 2016

Police said a person of interest is in custody after a former radio talk show host and her daughter were killed in unincorporated Gary, Indiana.

The Lake County Sheriff's Department found Velia Taneff, 86, and her 63-year-old daughter, Lana Taneff, strangled on Sunday night. Deputies found the daughter at home and her mother at a next door rental property they owned.

After an investigation revealed a dark blue 2003 Cadillac was missing from the Taneff residence, the vehicle was located by GPS in western Ohio.

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James A. Lohnes, 45, of Crown Point, mailed a handwritten Writ of Habeas Corpus, to U.S. District Court here in which he is representing himself without the apparent help of a lawyer.

Lohnes claims Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter has violated his constitutional rights and is demanding release from the Lake County Jail where he has been in custody the last 11 months.

Lohnes public defender, John Maksimovich, declined to comment on his client's federal pleading.

Maksimovich did ask Lake Criminal Court Judge Samuel L. Cappas in Crown Point last month to have court-appointed psychiatrists examine Lohnes to determine if Lohnes is mentally competent to stand trial.

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The defense attorney stated that Lohnes is “unable to remember critical, material events connected with these charges” and does not appear to appreciate the gravity of his situation, the filing states.

Two doctors evaluated Lohnes and reported their findings to the court, though the results are sealed. The defense agreed with the doctors' findings, but the state has requested a third evaluation, which will be discussed at a June 22 court hearing, according to court filings.

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A judge agreed to send a Crown Point man charged with two counts of murder to the Logansport State Hospital for a forensic psychological evaluation to determine his mental competency to stand trial.

Lake Superior Court Judge Samuel Cappas granted the request for the evaluation by the defense team representing James Lohnes.

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A criminal court judge determined Friday at a court hearing that James A. Lohnes was not mentally competent to stand trial for murder charges in the strangling of two women in January 2016 in Calumet Township.

Lohnes, 46, of Crown Point, will be held for 90 days at a mental institution while doctors determine whether he could ever become competent to stand trial.

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James Lohnes, who is accused of strangling two women last year at their home in Calumet Township, remains institutionalized while doctors determine if he will be able to stand trial for murder.

Judge Samuel L. Cappas ordered July 7 that the defendant be held at a mental institution until such time he is determined to be competent.

A new court hearing for Lohnes is scheduled for Feb. 6.

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A man accused of strangling a mother and daughter two years ago in Calumet Township was deemed competent to stand trial, though his attorneys said Tuesday they were not ready for a trial date.

The defense attorneys told Judge Samuel L. Cappas at a court hearing Tuesday in Lake Criminal Court the parties were involved in the discovery process and not yet ready for trial.

The judge scheduled a hearing for June 12.

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