Small Town Murder {complete}

More questions than answers

The first person on the scene was Herman and Jeremy's father, who is a cop from the town that is 8 miles south of where the shooting took place. They weren't questioned about what happened, and were released to go home. The scene was not even processed properly, and the state police didn't start processing the scene until the following Tuesday (November 29, 2010) because "it was a holiday weekend". By the time that it was processed it had already been contaminated by the local police. When the state police got the report they went in and investigated the scene and the crime, they had questions that needed to be answered. The asked the local police where the shooting was since it wasn't at the scene when they were collecting evidence. The local police told them it wasn't there when they got there either. They also wondered how Stevie Jo was able to report the crime at 4:58 pm when she was not there, and was 20 miles away at a grocery store. Again the local police couldn't answer that question either.

The big question is where was the elusive shotgun that Billy was pointing at Jeremy and Herman? The second question was did Stevie Jo have anything to do with the murder or help plan it?

Billy left behind a wife, two children, a grandchild, and both of his parents along with several aunts, uncle's, and cousins. Billy was 38 when he was murdered on his own property by Herman and his brother, even though Herman was legally not even allowed to be there. His brother knew this and still willingly took him there. How was it that Herman was not arrested when the other local cops showed up knowing that there was a protective order in place against him. 

The local police turned the investigation over to the state police, because the local police were involved along with the cop that had two grown children that were at the scene of the crime when it took place. Everyone that knew Billy's family was enraged that nothing was being done to the guys that murdered him. There is a law in place that allows someone to protect themselves and their property from such crimes, but the police seem to have overlooked that law while investigating this case. The prosecutor even overlooked that law when the case was sent to him to decide if there were going to be any charges pressed for the murder of Billy Joe.

Billy's  cell phone was found on January 2, 2011 by Billy's uncle, Freddy, broken into several pieces with the battery taken out of it and thrown in a heat vent, after the police had already processed the scene and released it from being a crime scene. The phone was turned over as soon as it was found, Billy's uncle recorded everything while he was retrieving the phone, and he made sure he did not touch it with his bare hands.

Everyone was encouraged to go over to Billy and Stevie's home, open up the aluminum storm door and examine the .45 caliber bullet hole that was made on the hinge side of the door after passing through Billy’s chest. You decide what you think happened. Freddy used a bore light to examine the trajectory of the bullet path. If the bullet had been fired from the driver’s side of the vehicle it would have had to pass through the door frame and enter into the exterior trailer wall. But it did not. The Bullet had to be fired from the passenger side of the vehicle, so that after passing through Billy and then through the door frame, the bullet continued parallel to the trailer wall. The next question you need to ask yourself is how, (assuming that Billy did in fact possess a shotgun and brandish it in the doorway of his home), how do you pull out, aim and fire your concealed weapon before a man who is already holding a shotgun can fire his weapon. I do not believe the “Fastest Gun in the West'' can draw his weapon, aim and fire before the man with the shotgun can even pull the trigger of a weapon he is already holding. The only answer I can think of is that you approach the doorway with your weapon already drawn and aimed in the general direction so when the victim appears you just aim and pull the trigger, that way the man with the alleged shotgun doesn’t have a chance to even point it much less pull the trigger. If that is self defense, then pigs fly! But then again, no one was there that night when it happened, and neither were the police. Go look for yourself and think about it.

On December 9, 2010 Billy's uncle, Freddy, went to the new Orange CO. Courthouse this morning and asked for and got copies of the court records where Herman attacked Billy in front of LowBobs Tobacco Sales in Paoli back on December 26, 2009. That is where the Protective order Billy had against Herman can be found (in Criminal records). After all of the court proceedings, on April 27, 2010 Herman was convicted of Battery. The State Ordered, Protective/Restraining Order was included in the conviction. It is signed by R. Michael Cloud, Judge Orange Superior Court. In it, it states that the Defendant (Herman) is Ordered to "Obey all laws of the State of Indiana or any other jurisdiction" and "No direct and/or indirect contact with Billy". Since it was State ordered, it can only be dropped by the state. It hasn't been. Also, I have a copy of the Protective Order that Stevie has against Herman. It states that, "The Respondent (Herman) is Ordered to stay away from the residence, school, and/or place of employment of the petitioner (Stevie)". Herman went to the "residence" so both Stevie's and Billy's Protective Orders were broken. It is in the court records for anyone to see that asks to see it.