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Bledsoe pleads guilty in wife's death

Thursday, March 3, 2011
BY JARED JERNAGAN Assistant Editor
Jeremy Bledsoe

GREENCASTLE -- A Reelsville man charged in the Jan. 13, 2010 shooting death of his wife pleaded guilty in Putnam County Circuit Court Thursday morning.

Jeremy R. Bledsoe, 32, was set to go on trial in February for the murder of Kathryne Bledsoe, 31, before his court appointed attorney, Sidney Tongret, requested a change of plea hearing.

Putnam County Prosecutor Tim Bookwalter emphasized there was no plea agreement in place.

At Thursday's hearing, Bledsoe, under Tongret's questioning, admitted he killed Kathryne.

Bledsoe's sentencing is set for May 5.

Bledsoe told Circuit Court Judge Matt Headley he understood that by pleading guilty, he waived the right to a jury trial and certain other constitutional rights.

Questioned by Bookwalter, Bledsoe said he used a shotgun to shoot Kathryne and that he bought the ammunition the day before with the intention of killing her. He further stated he considered killing her the night before, but did not because his kids were sleeping with her on the couch.

"I did (consider killing her), but my kids were sleeping with her," Bledsoe said. "I didn't want to wake my kids up with gunfire."

Instead, he said he shot her the next morning when she was dressing after a bath with the two youngest of their three children. The children were in a different room, and their oldest child was at school.

"I didn't say anything," Bledsoe said. "I just picked up the gun and shot her."

Bledsoe said he killed Kathryne because she was planning to leave him.

"She was going to leave and take my kids with her and go back to her ex-boyfriend," Bledsoe said. "And I couldn't handle that."

Bookwalter requested copies of any psychological examinations Bledsoe has undergone, as he assumes the defense will cite them as a mitigating factor at the sentencing. Tongret said his client might undergo further evaluations prior to May 5.

Bledsoe could be convicted to a maximum of 65 years in prison. Bookwalter said the case did not meet the criteria necessary for the death penalty.

Felony murder carries a minimum sentence of 45 years.

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  • Maximum of 65 yrs?? The guy who just fired a gun in a general direction of another person got 44 yrs. It will be interesting to see what this guy gets. He should get the chair! What does it have to have to warrant the death penalty?? This is crazy. He should be dead already.

    -- Posted by almostfootballfree on Thu, Mar 3, 2011, at 2:14 PM

  • @almostfootballfree ... Hargrove chose the wrong type of target: cop v. wife. I don't think Indiana uses the chair any more, but this might have been a good occasion for a reprisal.

    -- Posted by Balding Eagle on Thu, Mar 3, 2011, at 6:31 PM

  • One of the qualifications for the death penalty is to randomly shoot out of a car and kill someone. I think, since no one was killed that night (thank God) that he got the appropriate sentence.

    If you google criteria for death penalty it should clarify some of this for you.

    -- Posted by WTFRUthinkin on Thu, Mar 3, 2011, at 6:50 PM

  • Unfortunately, whatever the sentence, it will never be enough. Our family lost a mother, a daughter, a sister, a granddaughter, an aunt, a niece, a cousin, a friend. With this sentencing, some of us are hoping for some sense of closure to what has been a long, rough, and incredibly sad journey. Nothing can bring Kathy back to us, but she will continue to live in our hearts, our minds and our souls. We will always miss her beautiful smile, her infectious laugh and her calming presence.

    -- Posted by slrichards on Thu, Mar 3, 2011, at 10:46 PM

  • wtfru...and deliberately pointing a gun from point blank range at the mother of your children and killing her with pre-meditation should receive approximately the same sentence?? WTF is right??

    -- Posted by almostfootballfree on Fri, Mar 4, 2011, at 6:33 AM

  • HE SHOULD BE DEAD FOR DOING WHAT HE DID NOW THOSE KIDS DONT HAVE A MOTHER OR FATHER IN THEIR LIFE.THIS IS SO SAD.IT SHOULD BE AN EYE FOR AN EYE.

    -- Posted by sassyas27 on Fri, Mar 4, 2011, at 10:04 AM

  • Almost...

    I am not defending this man's actions. If I were the judge, jury and prosecution I would seek the death penalty also. I had to google the criteria for death penalty to see why he was only going to get 65 yrs max. Sorry if my comment was taken the wrong way.

    -- Posted by WTFRUthinkin on Sat, Mar 5, 2011, at 12:47 AM

  • Ya know, I'd really hate to see this man get the easy way out with the death penalty. Murderers, rapists and "cho mos" should be tortured and brutally, mentally scarred in some institution. Make them wish they had been sentenced to death. Therefor, they can always have a piece of their past haunt them. The same kind of haunting that they cause their victims or victims friends and family. Instead, they'll never have to work again, pay another bill, etc. etc. We get to pay for it. Just saying......

    -- Posted by BrutallyHonest on Sat, Mar 5, 2011, at 11:51 PM
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