Buis charged with voluntary manslaughter

Friday, April 30, 2010
Buis

GREENCASTLE -- A Van Bibber Lake man was formally charged in Putnam County Circuit Court Thursday with a Class A felony count of voluntary manslaughter.

Matthew Buis, 39, stands accused of shooting to death Clifford Hulse, 57. Hulse was killed Tuesday.

In court Thursday, Judge Matthew Headley explained to Buis that a Class A felony carries an advisory sentence of 30 years in prison, a minimum sentence of 20 years and a maximum sentence of 50 years.

When Headley asked Buis if he remembered being read his rights at the time of Buis' arrest, Buis said he did not. As Headley began to read a document that had been signed by Buis that outlined those rights, Buis interrupted Headley and said he in fact did remember.

Headley asked if Buis wanted a preliminary not guilty plea entered by the court on Buis' behalf.

"Yes I do," Buis said. "All I did was in self-defense, your honor."

Headley told Buis that was a matter he would need to discuss with his attorney.

Buis requested pauper counsel. He told Headley he has no money saved, no property to convert to cash and is currently unemployed.

Headley appointed Todd Sallee to represent Buis, and set a pretrial conference for June 10.

Per the request of Deputy Prosecutor James Hanner, Buis' bond was set at $100,000 cash only.

According to court documents, Buis and Hulse were neighbors that lived across the street from one another.

An eyewitness told police he had been playing cards with Hulse and another man before the shooting occurred. He said Buis arrived about 2 a.m., and that Buis and Hulse began arguing some time later.

Hulse ordered Buis to leave. Buis refused, the witness said, and when Hulse stood up to face Buis, Buis pulled a handgun from his pocket, court documents said. Hulse picked up a filet knife from a picnic table, and Buis fired a shot in the air over Hulse's head.

Buis fired a second shot almost immediately, the witness told police, and Hulse was struck and fell to the ground. The witness said Buis shot at Hulse from approximately 15 feet.

The witness told police Buis did not leave after shooting Hulse, but approached the witness in a threatening manner and threatened to "shoot him too."

At that point, Buis' roommate came over and ushered Buis home, court documents said.

At 3:06 a.m., Putnam County 911 received a call about a man shot with a gun. When officers arrived at the scene, a man and a woman were performing CPR on Hulse, court documents said.

Hulse was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers found the gun allegedly used in Hulse's murder in Buis' front yard.

Buis was interviewed shortly after the incident. Buis told police Hulse had accused Buis of bringing him bad luck in cards, and that was when Hulse, unprovoked, grabbed the knife and brandished it at Buis.

Buis said he attempted to leave the garage, but got tangled in a tarp. He told police he "saw Hulse approaching him face-on with the filet knife in his hand and holding it over his head as if to strike down with it."

Buis said he "feared for his life," and fired one shot, striking Hulse.

"Buis was insistent about firing only one shot," court documents said.

According to court documents, however, police found a bullet hole in the rear wall area of the garage, supporting the witness' allegation that a shot that missed Hulse was fired.

The witness also told police Buis was not attempting to leave the garage when the shooting occurred.

An autopsy report listed the cause of Hulse's death as a single gunshot wound to the mid-chest. The bullet struck an artery and Hulse bled to death.

Other witnesses told police they heard the gunshots and heard Buis "yelling angrily."

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  • It is about time someone looks into the cover-ups in Putnam County.Are you aware that Tim Bookwalter was the attorney for VanBibber Lake for some time?William C VanBibber and Bookwalter are good friends from way back.Headly too.There are too many conflicts.This case should have been taken out of Putnam County from the start.Our family had a problem with neighbors some years ago.It could very well have ended the same way.We were recieving threatning telephone calls.Everytime we went outside our home we were cursed or given the finger.Judge Robert Lowe and Tim Bookwalter,who is married to an old girlfriend of mine,conspired to remove us from Putnam County.We were barred from Putnam County.Even though we were land owners with all of our taxes paid in full.This should have carried a murder one charge.Tim Bookwalter is definately in conflict and as long as these people are in control you see what you get.

    -- Posted by stevied4u13 on Fri, Apr 30, 2010, at 10:20 AM
  • I suppsed they were behind the boxes at the book depository when the shot was fired at Kennedy and held the backdrop when the photo's were taken of the moon landing. And assisted with the Loch Ness Monster coverup and are hiding ET? Get a life!

    -- Posted by hardtobelieve on Fri, Apr 30, 2010, at 10:48 AM
  • in response to stevied4u13

    actually i was the 2nd gunman on the grassy knoll in Dallas. but no one from putnam county was in on that one. can't say for sure about the fake moon landing though.

    this is a small community and if you are born (or even just raised) here, you can stop anyone else from around here and after about 20 minutes realize you are related to them or at least have 5 or more friends in common. if we took every court case to another county because of knowing each other. we could tear the courthouse down and finally get the parking lot we need.

    and how do you get "barred" from a county??? i would just keep climbing back over the great wall built to separate us. (woops, that was Berlin wasn't it?) or was it just the local bars you were barred from?

    -- Posted by BORNINPUTCO on Fri, Apr 30, 2010, at 12:39 PM
  • Regardless of who you know and where you came from this guy needs to get 3 hots and a cot for life. This is murder 1 folks. He can plead self defense, but when you lie in your initial interview about how many shots were fired and not being read your Miranda Rights then he's not helping his case. "I got caught in a tarp". Really??? That's the best he could come up with. Do Putnam County a favor and lock this trash up.

    -- Posted by rdale4life on Fri, Apr 30, 2010, at 4:51 PM
  • rdale4life, You have no idea what you are talking about. You have not been to the seen of the incident.

    -- Posted by turtleluv on Fri, Apr 30, 2010, at 6:24 PM
  • well well well who ever wrote the first article was ABSOLUTELY TELLING THE TRUTH... some of the people in this coutny can and do use their influence to ruin other peoples lives , i am living proof diane laviolette included in the conspiracy, best friend forever they are and they all conspire together if you stay to spite them they deem to ruin you anyway, but i read my bible folks and i know theres a place for them too believe me who ever wrote that article know how i feel thanks for bringing that to light...

    -- Posted by ironmaiden on Fri, Apr 30, 2010, at 11:05 PM
  • stevied4u13: Threatening phone calls and finger flippings do not give someone an out to shoot said threatener and finger flipper. Unless Mr. Buis was stabbed and then he shot, it really isn't self defense. I could say I am in fear for my life when I drive but that doesn't mean I can shoot the guy who passed me on a double yellow.

    Also, I must agree with BORNINPUTCO, small towns have there faults. We just deal with it and move on...

    -- Posted by WTFRUthinkin on Sat, May 1, 2010, at 12:46 AM
  • Actually one does not have to be stabbed first before shooting. Merely having a weapon capable of inflicting serious damage or causing death and brandishing said weapon in a threatening manner is more than justification for the shooter.

    -- Posted by exhoosier2 on Sun, May 2, 2010, at 1:24 PM
  • Everyone is entited to an opinion however, all the arm chair judges and attornies who think they know exactly what happenend and have already "judged" this man need to remember.."Innocent until PROVEN guilty".

    -- Posted by HeyRed on Sun, May 2, 2010, at 3:58 PM
  • WTFRUthinkin - as far as your comment "small towns have there faults. We just deal with it and move on...", why wouldn't you want to (or at least try to) fix those faults? Complacency breeds laziness and that could explain the reason Putnam County, in general, and VBL, in particular, is in the shape it is. And as far as your self-defense comment goes, you couldn't be further from the truth, fear for your life with someone wielding a knife at you is, indeed, self defense. Shooting someone for just passing your vehicle with their vehicle really wouldn't apply, would it? Stupid, yes, but not self-defense. JMO.

    -- Posted by NotSoInnocent on Mon, May 3, 2010, at 8:31 PM
  • I am the unidentified woman that was in the garage that morning who attempted to do CPR on Cliff Hulse. I am also the property owner of that garage where this all happened. I am also the mother of the victim. Please all of you who write pray for both families in this most unfortunate incident. Allow justice to be served. None of the families of either of these men need to suffer more than they have.

    -- Posted by wyane69 on Mon, May 3, 2010, at 11:23 PM
  • It is hard to believe that just last summer we where drinking with Mat having a good time playing corn hole. just can't imagine what would lead him to do this.even though we are related to Mat no family should have to suffer the loss of a loved one so we are praying for them both. we are here for you Sondra. we love you and Mat but it's a tough situation. God Bless.

    with love,

    Mrs.JG and MR.JG from Batavia OHIO.

    -- Posted by Goodman x 2 on Tue, May 4, 2010, at 3:03 AM
  • HeyRed - its guilty until PROVEN innocent here

    -- Posted by luv2bmom2001 on Tue, May 4, 2010, at 6:16 AM
  • Yes folks this is a tragic event,While I did not know either man personally I have heard good things about both of them.Drunken stupidity.But that does not relieve the shooter of his responsability.Nor of the prosicuter to bring the right charges.I agree with WTFRU completely.The people at VanBibber stopped careing.To BORNINPUTCO.First you are an idiot.Second as for how did we get barred from the county.That you will have to ask the judge about that.Or maybe the attorney for the VanBibber Lake POA.That would be judge Lowe and Prosicuter Timothy Bookwalter.Indiana law states that if you prevent a landowner from accessing that land you have committed a class D felony.You figure it out.Things can only improve if the peoplr want them to.

    .

    -- Posted by stevied4u13 on Tue, May 4, 2010, at 12:21 PM
  • Look its a known fact the buis clan is all nuts

    look for there facebook pages you will see for yourself's on is a drunk pill popper one trys to have people do her dirty work and threaten to shoot people and throw a child under a bus kinda funny how it seems to run in that family like i said i live at vbl and have known them for some time there a starnge bunch of folks this man needs to rot in his cell maybe then the rest of the family can see this is no way to live and might change them selfs to the buis's i was with you untill i seen more action from your family you people have no feelings for anyone or anything i feel sorry for you

    -- Posted by Det on Wed, Dec 1, 2010, at 1:57 PM
  • Det_ I really do not think holding judgement is appropriate. Do we not watch the Addam's family enthralled. I do not believe the Buis' are an awkward bunch. I just believe you might be a little socially declined that is all. You don't know a person until you have a chance to really sit down and talk with them. So please leave your rude remarks to yourself. Thank You.

    -- Posted by ladydoc1986 on Sat, Dec 3, 2011, at 8:51 PM
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