Pastor’s Pregnant Wife Killed in Home Invasion (Indianapolis)

[VelociRapture]

Nothing in my OP was meant to be "snark." The title reports it as a home invasion, not a "home invasion." I used quote marks to quote the husband because I was quoting the husband. I also said that security cameras at the gym support his story. 

Do I think it's odd that he didn't refer to the fetus? Yeah, I do. Doesn't mean he had anything to with it; I just think it's odd for a evangelical Christian. 

Thank you for the clarification. I figured that you were just looking to have a conversation about it, but tone can be really tough to read online at times (at least it is for me) - I think your opening paragraph may have confused several of us, so I do really appreciate you taking the time to clear it up. Very sorry for the misunderstanding!

It is a bit odd he failed to mention the fetus, but I agree it doesn't necessarily mean he did anything wrong. I think it has more to do with the fact that he is likely still in shock, adjusting to the idea of being a single parent to a young child, and he is mourning the loss of his wife. It's a lot to take in all at once, so it wouldn't surprise me at all if that was the reason why he didn't mention the lost fetus.

I didn't read anything you wrote as snark, and I would hope that no person on FJ who's been here for more than 5 minutes would think that either. Inflection is hard to determine in text (as we've all encountered at some point), and I think that people are just wary about any "snark" being made against any of the people involved in this tragic situation. 

Pretty much this. I was very uncertain and didn't want to immediately jump to conclusions, so I'm glad that DomWackTroll took the time to explain.

I do want to say that I don't entirely agree with your first sentence. Personally, I've become much more wary of what people post after the whole Burris meltdown recently. I don't think it's completely uncalled for or out of line to question the way something was written if it isn't clear to you (general) personally. It just needs to be done in a way that doesn't accuse anyone of anything.

[Walking Cat Bed]

This is terrible in so many ways.

 

I'm wondering if the murderer knew the family -- like, was a churchgoer or someone they'd hired to do yard or repair work. After family members (who have been cleared by the police), I'd imagine someone with a grudge (or a violent person who has...issues with reality) would be most likely.

[Jana814]

This is such a sad situation. 

[Trynn]

My heart goes out to the innocent victims.

[socalrules]

Admittedly, I am a cynic and highly suspicious in general but her husband being at the gym at the time of her murder doesn't raise any suspicions in my mind. Being murdered in your home in the middle of the day is not a rare event. My friend's sister-in-law was murdered at home a couple of years ago, in the middle of the day, while her husband was out. Someone could easily have said that it must be her husband as people are saying in this case. It turned out that her murderer was a serial killer that had been operating for years. The police knew there was a serial killer in the area but had little to go on. Her murder helped lead to his capture. Until there us any real evidence put forth, I will give the husband the benefit of the doubt. 

[lovemygsp]

Apparently the couple used to live in my area and still has family here so I thought the overblown news reporting was because of that. There do seem to be a few huh type things but I don't want to judge anyone who lost a loved one. 

The fetus not being mentioned isn't one of them for being a newer pregnancy and the devastation of losing a wife. I just feel bad for that little boy.

[roddma]

I could care less what race they are. I feel for all involved. I recall the Susan Smith case very well. -the fake tears, accusing a black male. Everyone believed her.

[Whoosh]

I understand where everyone is coming from on this and I am well aware of the statistics and odds here.  I guess for me, this is a situation where I am uncomfortable speculating and (again for me) will take the word of the police that this man has been cleared unless and until the authorities investigating this situation change their assessment or far more information comes to light. 

Most everyone has aspect of their lives that might not look great when someone shines a bright light on them.  Being under investigation for the death of your spouse/life partner is not an experience any innocent person should have to go through, but statistics tell us it is necessary in every case of suspicious death.  Having random strangers believe the worst is a minor annoyance in the larger picture in that type of situation.  Nonetheless, I just can't bring myself to go there.  I did't mean to tell anyone else what to do.

Of course that is all just my opinion and no one needs to care.  I doubt anyone cares about this either, but I have nothing but respect and appreciation for the OP - so I don't want to send the wrong message there in any way.

[DomWackTroll]

I understand where everyone is coming from on this and I am well aware of the statistics and odds here.  I guess for me, this is a situation where I am uncomfortable speculating and (again for me) will take the word of the police that this man has been cleared unless and until the authorities investigating this situation change their assessment or far more information comes to light. 

Most everyone has aspect of their lives that might not look great when someone shines a bright light on them.  Being under investigation for the death of your spouse/life partner is not an experience any innocent person should have to go through, but statistics tell us it is necessary in every case of suspicious death.  Having random strangers believe the worst is a minor annoyance in the larger picture in that type of situation.  Nonetheless, I just can't bring myself to go there.  I did't mean to tell anyone else what to do.

Of course that is all just my opinion and no one needs to care.  I doubt anyone cares about this either, but I have nothing but respect and appreciation for the OP - so I don't want to send the wrong message there in any way.

Oh, you're not. You make a very good point that this is simply proper police procedure and says nothing about this man personally. 

[SilverBeach]

There was no forced entry. Hubby didn't lock the door when he left for the gym that morning? Other security lapses around the house, in the city proper? Shouldn't headship check for those things?

[AnywhereButHere]

There was no forced entry. Hubby didn't lock the door when he left for the gym that morning? Other security lapses around the house, in the city proper? Shouldn't headship check for those things?

My husband locks the door all the time. Drives me crazy. I've come back from bringing the garbage out to find myself locked out. I am not that invested in a locked door. If he went out early, and I had reason to open the door after he left, it would not be relocked. I would also open the door to someone knocking on it. So that doesn't really raise a red flag.

Unless something comes out that he forbid her from touching the doors (which would be a whole new issue), I can't lay a security lapse at his feet. 

[Lizardlemon]

Indy is a mess right now. My mom works there, and shootings are very common. Also, I grew up near Elkhart and knew other members of the Blackburn family. They were good people. I don't find this snark-worthy.

[SilverBeach]

My husband locks the door all the time. Drives me crazy. I've come back from bringing the garbage out to find myself locked out. I am not that invested in a locked door. If he went out early, and I had reason to open the door after he left, it would not be relocked. I would also open the door to someone knocking on it. So that doesn't really raise a red flag.

Unless something comes out that he forbid her from touching the doors (which would be a whole new issue), I can't lay a security lapse at his feet. 

Not laying anything at his feet, just asking questions. There was some kind of security lapse if there was no forced entry, whether he or she was responsible.  Or was it intentional? That's an old trick too, establishing an airtight alibi when arranging a murder for hire. I'm just saying. In an urban setting, it is unwise to be lax about security. Heck, it's unwise anywhere!

[Jana814]

I really hope this guy had nothing to do w/ this. 

[AnywhereButHere]

Not laying anything at his feet, just asking questions. There was some kind of security lapse if there was no forced entry, whether he or she was responsible.  Or was it intentional? That's an old trick too, establishing an airtight alibi when arranging a murder for hire. I'm just saying. In an urban setting, it is unwise to be lax about security. Heck, it's unwise anywhere!

Yeah, I know. I think it's a perception thing. My husband trusts no one - I trust everyone...

Honestly, my first thought ws that the husband did it just because it's usually the case in situations like this. We had a robbery down the street from me that we thought was random but was actually a business deal gone bad concerning the homeowner.

I'm just really hoping this stays with the husband not involved. Doesn't make it any better or change the outcome, so I don't know why it makes a difference to me, but it does.

[solacetea]

Davey seems to be really very into his pretty boy self, upon a first google image search pass. "The husband did it! " was my first thought upon hearing this story. I guess that is my cynical self thinking.

 

[divadivine]

The police keep reiterating that the husband and family have been ruled out 100%. There was a break-in down the street earlier that morning. The police were there at some point that morning (I think it was between 3-5 am). The police held an hour press conference yesterday telling the person who did this "We're coming to get you". They have security video from houses in the neighborhood. They have video and photos of the person, but they don't know who he is. ( That is from the press conference) 

I watch way too much Investigation Discovery (it's on right now....) so you know what my first thought was when I heard the story Tuesday. 

Our city is a hot mess right now. So many shootings, burglaries ... I don't get it. I used to feel really safe here. Now, not so much. Crime happens everywhere, but this is out side the realm of regular big city crime. 

[Coldwinterskies]

If we had nothing else to go on, then I think that it would be reasonable to be suspicious of the husband just because statistically it is common that people are murdered by someone they know. However, sometimes random home invasions do lead to murder. When I was growing up one of my childhood friends lost his father when the father was shot during a home invasion. If you're unlucky enough to be confronted by someone who brings a gun, it can happen to any of us unfortunately. 

Since it appears that the police have investigated him and decided that he's not involved, I really think it would be kindest not to speculate about the husband being guilty unless new evidence comes up that suggests he did it.  I think there probably is a good chance that the husband feels guilty that he wasn't home to try to "protect" his wife (even if in reality there wasn't anything he could have done to protect her and they both would have been killed if he was there)  and if it was his fault the door was unlocked that might also be weighing on him. Personally, I am very careful to keep my door locked because I worry about things like this happening, but I know a lot of people who aren't that worried about it and some people who even will intentionally leave a door unlocked all day because they feel their neighborhood is safe enough that it is not a problem. 

As for not talking about the fetus, it's possible that they had not publicly announced the pregnancy and maybe he didn't feel like burdening their loved ones with the additional announcement that a baby was lost too (or maybe he just is overwhelmed by the loss of his wife and doesn't even want to think about that aspect of his loss). While I know a lot of fundies do announce right away, this couple may have preferred to avoid having to make a public spectacle of a potential miscarriage and if that was the case it would make sense they would not have gone public yet when the poor woman was just now getting out of the first trimester. 

[SilverBeach]

The police keep reiterating that the husband and family have been ruled out 100%. There was a break-in down the street earlier that morning. The police were there at some point that morning (I think it was between 3-5 am). The police held an hour press conference yesterday telling the person who did this "We're coming to get you". They have security video from houses in the neighborhood. They have video and photos of the person, but they don't know who he is. ( That is from the press conference) 

I watch way too much Investigation Discovery (it's on right now....) so you know what my first thought was when I heard the story Tuesday. 

Our city is a hot mess right now. So many shootings, burglaries ... I don't get it. I used to feel really safe here. Now, not so much. Crime happens everywhere, but this is out side the realm of regular big city crime. 

Ruled out for NOW. Other spouse killers have been initially ruled out too, sometimes it takes years to build a case. I am an ID junkie and there have been many cases like this. Wouldn't it be convenient to arrange a murder when the neighborhood is having a rash of burglaries and blame it on the burglar? Did the burglar kill anybody else?  The lack of forced entry remains a question, don't you think there would have been extra vigilance about security knowing a burglar is working your neighborhood?

If we had nothing else to go on, then I think that it would be reasonable to be suspicious of the husband just because statistically it is common that people are murdered by someone they know. However, sometimes random home invasions do lead to murder. When I was growing up one of my childhood friends lost his father when the father was shot during a home invasion. If you're unlucky enough to be confronted by someone who brings a gun, it can happen to any of us unfortunately. 

Since it appears that the police have investigated him and decided that he's not involved, I really think it would be kindest not to speculate about the husband being guilty unless new evidence comes up that suggests he did it.  I think there probably is a good chance that the husband feels guilty that he wasn't home to try to "protect" his wife (even if in reality there wasn't anything he could have done to protect her and they both would have been killed if he was there)  and if it was his fault the door was unlocked that might also be weighing on him. Personally, I am very careful to keep my door locked because I worry about things like this happening, but I know a lot of people who aren't that worried about it and some people who even will intentionally leave a door unlocked all day because they feel their neighborhood is safe enough that it is not a problem. 

As for not talking about the fetus, it's possible that they had not publicly announced the pregnancy and maybe he didn't feel like burdening their loved ones with the additional announcement that a baby was lost too (or maybe he just is overwhelmed by the loss of his wife and doesn't even want to think about that aspect of his loss). While I know a lot of fundies do announce right away, this couple may have preferred to avoid having to make a public spectacle of a potential miscarriage and if that was the case it would make sense they would not have gone public yet when the poor woman was just now getting out of the first trimester. 

Yes, from time to time, random home invasions do lead to murder. But there are a lot of unanswered questions here. The police probably checked hubbies alibi, and let it go after that, but I doubt they really "investigated" him. Possible motives, the state of their finances, maybe he didn't want another baby, affairs. If there is one thing that ID confirms, it is that you never know what is going on behind closed doors, even those of clergy. Not speculating, just asking questions.

[Beb]

The police keep reiterating that the husband and family have been ruled out 100%. There was a break-in down the street earlier that morning. The police were there at some point that morning (I think it was between 3-5 am). The police held an hour press conference yesterday telling the person who did this "We're coming to get you". They have security video from houses in the neighborhood. They have video and photos of the person, but they don't know who he is. ( That is from the press conference) 

I watch way too much Investigation Discovery (it's on right now....) so you know what my first thought was when I heard the story Tuesday. 

Our city is a hot mess right now. So many shootings, burglaries ... I don't get it. I used to feel really safe here. Now, not so much. Crime happens everywhere, but this is out side the realm of regular big city crime. 

Are the police suspecting the neighborhood burglar referred to in that incident?  If that's the case, it seems odd and even brazen that this same burglar would be hanging around the neighborhood and committing other crimes there after the police had been in the burglarized home early that morning. 

Just seems a bit of a stretch. 

[Closed Womb]

 

I'm horrified that the only news clip I saw focused on her wedding night virginity and how that made her such an exceptional, wonderful woman.  How gross!  When I'm being told about a murder, the last thing I care about is the victim's "purity" and I SURE AS HELL don't need a video clip of the husband bragging about it when preaching*(archive video from while she was still alive.)

 

*This is probably why I am suspicious; seems like she was not a real person, just a perfect toy God gave him as a gift.  Ugh! 

[TXGirlInAMaterialWorld]

Very sad situation for sure.  My coworkers were talking about this case and were all creeped out at the newsclips of the husband's previous sermons discussing his wife's viriginity when they were married.  It may seem strange to a lot of people, but in evangelical circles it is a somewhat normal topic of conversation. 

I also agree it is strange that MSM would report on it.  

[VelociRapture]

Very sad situation for sure.  My coworkers were talking about this case and were all creeped out at the newsclips of the husband's previous sermons discussing his wife's viriginity when they were married.  It may seem strange to a lot of people, but in evangelical circles it is a somewhat normal topic of conversation. 

I also agree it is strange that MSM would report on it.  

I have nothing productive to add. I just wanted to tell you I love your avatar!

[divadivine]

Are the police suspecting the neighborhood burglar referred to in that incident?  If that's the case, it seems odd and even brazen that this same burglar would be hanging around the neighborhood and committing other crimes there after the police had been in the burglarized home early that morning. 

Just seems a bit of a stretch. 

The police were called to the burglary somewhere between 3-5 am. I think that house was 2 doors down from the Blackburn home. I think there might have been other burglaries in the neighborhood previously. I know they had a neighborhood crime watch program because they've interviewed the crime watch captain a few times. The person they believe commited the crime was caught on surveillance.  They released the images yesterday. I think they feel it could be a burglary ring or something. I just don't think you can rule out a spouse 100% after a day or two. Again, I watch a lot of Investigation Discovery. I didn't get to watch the interview on the Today Show this morning because I have an evil job. They couple had told their congregation about the pregnancy two days before the shooting. It's just weird. Something doesn't add up. 

[hoipolloi]

Here's the GMA interview from earlier today: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/indianapolis-pastor-speaks-pregnant-wifes-slaying-35249202

Still getting a hinky vibe from it all.