Robbins charged with manslaughter
GREENCASTLE -- A Cloverdale man was formally charged in Putnam County Circuit Court Tuesday with Class A felony voluntary manslaughter.
Jared T. Robbins, 22, is accused in the shooting death of Donald E. Lowe III, 28, of Martinsville.
Robbins allegedly shot Lowe in the chest outside a Cloverdale residence. The shooting is alleged to have happened sometime between 11 p.m. Saturday and midnight on Sunday.
Judge Matthew Headley set Robbins' bond at $100,000 cash only. A pretrial conference in the case is set for Oct. 14. As of Tuesday night, Robbins remained in the Putnam County Jail.
According to the FindLaw website (www.criminal.findlaw.com), "Voluntary manslaughter is commonly defined as an intentional killing in which the offender had no prior intent to kill, such as a killing that occurs in the heat of passion. The circumstances leading to the killing must be the kind that would cause a reasonable person to become emotionally or mentally disturbed, otherwise the killing may be charged as first-degree or second-degree murder."
An eyewitness to the shooting told police Robbins fired five to seven rounds at Lowe with a handgun, and believed at least two of them struck Lowe.
Robbins fled the scene in a car, the witness said. Within an hour of the shooting, police found and apprehended Robbins.
Robbins had just been released from prison in July. He was convicted in Putnam County Circuit Court in March 2009 on a Class B felony burglary charge and was given a 2 1/2-year sentence. In January, he was sentenced in Marion County to one-year concurrent sentences for felony criminal recklessness and intimidation.
Robbins was initially arrested in Putnam County in October 2008, and had been in jail ever since.
The shooting allegedly occurred at the Burma Road home of Jared Robbins' cousin, Billy Robbins, 44. Billy Robbins was also arrested, as he was released from prison into a community transition program in late July. Since he was on home detention and technically still an Indiana Department of Correction inmate, any involvement in any alleged crime violated the terms of the transition program.
According to court records, petitions to revoke Billy Robbins' placement on home detention and probation, as well as a request for a warrant for his arrest, were filed on Monday.
A jail official said on Tuesday night that Billy Robbins was no longer listed as a Putnam County Jail inmate. An official at the Putnamville Correctional Facility said Billy Robbins is also not on record as being incarcerated at any DOC facility.
Lowe was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy was performed in Terre Haute, and the results should be available sometime today, Deputy Coroner Brian Hopkins said.
Should Jared Robbins be convicted of a Class A felony, he could be sentenced to a maximum of 50 years in prison. The advisory sentence for a Class A felony is 30 years, while the minimum sentence is 20 years.
Lowe's is the third shooting death in Putnam County this year.
Jeremy Bledsoe, 31, of Reelsville was charged on Jan. 14 with felony murder in connection with the shooting death of his wife of 10 years, Kathryne.
Bledsoe is alleged to have shot his wife at the couple's home on the morning of Jan. 13 -- while the couple's 3-year-old and 20-month-old children and Jeremy's grandmother, who also lived with the couple -- were in the house.
The Bledsoes' oldest child, 6, was in class at Reelsville Elementary School at the time of the shooting. The school is directly across the street from the house where the family lived.
Court records allege that Bledsoe left the home after the shooting. He remained at large for more than 12 hours before being apprehended without incident in the Cataract area.
Members of Kathryne Bledsoe's family said the Bledsoe's marriage had been marred throughout by incidents of violence, and that Kathryne Bledsoe was planning to divorce her husband.
The cause of Kathryne Bledsoe's death was determined to be a single gunshot wound to the head.
Bledsoe remains lodged at the Putnam County Jail, where he has been held without bond since his arrest. A jury trial in the case is set to begin on Oct. 18. The deadline for any plea agreements is Sept. 30.
If convicted, Bledsoe could face 45 to 65 years in prison. The advisory sentence is 55 years.
On April 29, Matthew Buis, 40, of Van Bibber Lake was charged with Class A felony voluntary manslaughter in connection with the April 27 shooting death of Clifford Hulse, 57.
According to court records, Buis and Hulse were neighbors, and Buis allegedly shot Hulse in Hulse's garage after the two argued and Hulse ordered Buis to leave his property.
An autopsy report said Hulse died of a single gunshot wound to the mid-chest. The bullet struck an artery, causing Hulse to bleed to death.
Buis has claimed he shot Hulse in self-defense.
Buis' bond was set at $100,000 cash only, and he also remains in the Putnam County Jail. A pretrial conference in Buis' case is set for Thursday.