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

[FaithAndReason]

I hope that surveillance video is better than what they showed on GMA.  I don't know how they can determine anything from that video--let alone hoodie color and skin color.

I don't want to presume guilt or innocence but I find it weird that the husband said, "This is devastating for the family." As if he's not a part of it. Nothing about his  own grief or the emotions of their son. He seems really detached from her and her death. He was the one who found her, I would think his emotions would be even a little more sad, or something. I'm not a public weeper or anything so I'm not saying he should be blubbering. But he just seemed....detached from the whole event and his wife.

Also (bc we have a family member who attends their church and has posted every article regarding this on FB) I've read his FB post several times and it's nearly the same thing he said in the interview. It feels like a prepared speech from the very first day. 

That's JMHO. I have no true facts. Just a gut instinct that something about this "break in" doesn't feel right. I hope I'm wrong because that poor little boy....

[TXGirlInAMaterialWorld]

I guess no two people grieve in the same timeline- but he did seem very detached.  More like someone who was talking about a murdered family member decades after the crime rather than a week later.  

One of my coworkers watched the GMA interview from DVR and said that the husband showed more emotion talking in that sermon about the "unused status of his wife's lady parts" when they married than he did when talking about her being brutally murdered. 

I do wonder if part of it is that he feels like he has to put a face on of *knowing* that she is in a better place and that they will be together again someday, etc.  I hate it when churchy people try to make others feel guilty for mourning.  It is a tragedy that a young woman's life was cut short, that her son will never really remember her and that the child she was pregnant with was killed.  To deny that in the name of "praising Him in this storm" makes me very angry.  

[Howl]

We were watching the GMA piece a few days ago and DH finally fast forwarded through it because the husband was going on and on and ON about how much she loved Jesus, how much she loved people who loved Jesus, and how much she loved people who didn't even love Jesus yet and then just started to cycle through that again.  There was just something strange about his presentation (to us), but of course that may be just the way he is.  There is no one way that people respond to loss and tragedy. It occurred to me that he has been taught early on in life to present a certain kind of pastoral "strength" in adversity and present only that face to the world.  No telling what is really going on inside. 

[Coldwinterskies]

The police are now saying that this poor woman was sexually assaulted by the killer(s) and it sounds like there is DNA evidence: 
http://abc13.com/news/police-pregnant-pastors-wife-in-indiana-was-raped-by-her-killer-or-killers/1092653/

I suspect that this may be why they have come to the conclusion that the husband wasn't involved, since I would imagine that it would be easy to figure out if the DNA evidence was from the husband. I hope that this leads to some answers soon. 

 

[PennySycamore]

I guess no two people grieve in the same timeline- but he did seem very detached.  More like someone who was talking about a murdered family member decades after the crime rather than a week later.  

One of my coworkers watched the GMA interview from DVR and said that the husband showed more emotion talking in that sermon about the "unused status of his wife's lady parts" when they married than he did when talking about her being brutally murdered. 

I do wonder if part of it is that he feels like he has to put a face on of *knowing* that she is in a better place and that they will be together again someday, etc.  I hate it when churchy people try to make others feel guilty for mourning.  It is a tragedy that a young woman's life was cut short, that her son will never really remember her and that the child she was pregnant with was killed.  To deny that in the name of "praising Him in this storm" makes me very angry.  

Seems like some Xtians have forgotten that Jesus wept when he heard that Lazarus had died. 

[Coldwinterskies]

As someone who tends to be less outwardly emotional myself, I think it is important to remember that not everyone shows grief in the same way. Showing the biggest display of emotion doesn't mean you care the most - and in fact sometimes the people who make the biggest dramatic display are just trying to get attention for themselves rather than actually caring about the deceased (I've seen cases where someone who didn't care about the deceased in life acted like they were best friends when the deceased passed)   

I have always related to this famous poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning: 

I tell you, hopeless grief is passionless; 

That only men incredulous of despair, 

Half-taught in anguish, through the midnight air 

Beat upward to God’s throne in loud access 

Of shrieking and reproach. Full desertness, 

In souls as countries, lieth silent-bare 

Under the blanching, vertical eye-glare 

Of the absolute heavens. Deep-hearted man, express 

Grief for thy dead in silence like to death— 

Most like a monumental statue set 

In everlasting watch and moveless woe 

Till itself crumble to the dust beneath. 

Touch it; the marble eyelids are not wet: 

If it could weep, it could arise and go.

 

[SilverBeach]

I hope that surveillance video is better than what they showed on GMA.  I don't know how they can determine anything from that video--let alone hoodie color and skin color.

I don't want to presume guilt or innocence but I find it weird that the husband said, "This is devastating for the family." As if he's not a part of it. Nothing about his  own grief or the emotions of their son. He seems really detached from her and her death. He was the one who found her, I would think his emotions would be even a little more sad, or something. I'm not a public weeper or anything so I'm not saying he should be blubbering. But he just seemed....detached from the whole event and his wife.

Also (bc we have a family member who attends their church and has posted every article regarding this on FB) I've read his FB post several times and it's nearly the same thing he said in the interview. It feels like a prepared speech from the very first day. 

That's JMHO. I have no true facts. Just a gut instinct that something about this "break in" doesn't feel right. I hope I'm wrong because that poor little boy....

I saw the interview. That's all I will say. It was like he was eulogizing a church member, not his dead murdered pregnant wife. He eeked out some emotion at the end. I get that some people are less expressive than others, but damn! I hope he wasn't involved, but stranger things have happened.

Oh, the surveillance video was crap. Couldn't see black, white,or green.

As someone who tends to be less outwardly emotional myself, I think it is important to remember that not everyone shows grief in the same way. Showing the biggest display of emotion doesn't mean you care the most - and in fact sometimes the people who make the biggest dramatic display are just trying to get attention for themselves rather than actually caring about the deceased (I've seen cases where someone who didn't care about the deceased in life acted like they were best friends when the deceased passed)   

I have always related to this famous poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning: 

 

 

Funerals are good for this, I have seen the one who treated the deceased the worse practically jump in the casket because of guilt. We don't show grief the same, but husband did not show grief at all.

[SilverBeach]

The police are now saying that this poor woman was sexually assaulted by the killer(s) and it sounds like there is DNA evidence: 
http://abc13.com/news/police-pregnant-pastors-wife-in-indiana-was-raped-by-her-killer-or-killers/1092653/

I suspect that this may be why they have come to the conclusion that the husband wasn't involved, since I would imagine that it would be easy to figure out if the DNA evidence was from the husband. I hope that this leads to some answers soon. 

 

I heard that, it wasn't said whether or not the DNA had been tested, or if the husband had even been asked if they had intercourse that morning. Or could the wife have been having an affair? Anything is possible at this point, the investigation hasn't even scratched the surface. And stranger things have happened.

[DomWackTroll]

Teen arrested in connection with the murder: 

http://www.indystar.com/story/news/crime/2015/11/23/amanda-blackburn-case-murder-arrest-made-monday/76246780/

[Jana814]

Glad they arrested someone. 

[sawasdee]

The photograph at the bottom of the link left by @DomWackTroll above is one of the most beautiful mother and child pictures I have ever seen. Just makes it even more of a tragic waste.

[TXGirlInAMaterialWorld]

The mommy/baby pictures are gorgeous.  Such a sad story.  I hope they have enough evidence to make sure the killer spends the rest of his life in prison.   And if he is 18- that could be a very, very long time.  

[VelociRapture]

I wish the Pastor and their son (especially their son) all the best as they attempt to heal from this horrific loss.

[hoipolloi]

The Daily Mail reports that three suspects, including the one in @DomWackTroll's link, have now been arrested.

[Firiel]

I wouldn't go so far as to speculate that he was involved because 1. as if I know and 2. I knew someone who very easily could have been tried for the murder of a family member based on a less-than-typical grief response.

But this guy is a grade-A douche.  I don't doubt that his wife was being emotionally abused. He comes off worse than good ol' Mark Driscoll.  And apologies for the video being a "I bet he did it!" video.  That part of it really bothers me, but it's a good compilation of the creepy shit he's said about sex.  I can't even imagine being degraded like that in front of a crowd of people.  And you can hear him pausing for laughs and only receiving uncomfortable silence.  Gross.

(Is this video right?  Did I mess something up?  New things scare me.)

[divadivine]

I can't bring myself to watch any videos of the husband. He just gives me the creeps. I don't know why, but he does. They've arrested 2 people as of this afternoon. They had questioned 4 as of last Thursday. If the husband had anything to do with it, one of the people will roll on him. 

I have some weird feeling their church rented space in our office building at one time. They don't have their own building- they hold their services at a local school now- per their website. 

Also, I was totally creeped out this morning when the news of the arrest broke.  They have surveillance of the two people charged using an ATM about 3 minutes from my friend's house- 10 blocks from my house. 

This totally makes me want to change my gym time from 4 am to 4 pm.... But I dislike the 4 pm crowd too much. I need to hire a body guard. 

[hoipolloi]

Gotta say "The Intriguing Murder of Amanda Blackburn" nails a lot of the discomfort this case has raised for me -- thanks for posting. Judging from the YouTube comments, it looks like there are others who feel the same.

Still and all, let the investigations and legal process run their courses...

[pook]

first time I'm watching this guy, something is off very very off.

5:55 of the video, Amanda looks unhappy/stressed clenched jaw and wrinkled brow.

 

[Firiel]

For me, personally, with the video, I tried not to read into the things he said about her after her death.  I had a professor who was almost the prime suspect in his daughter's murder because he didn't react the way people would expect.  But man, the stuff he preaches about... SO super creepy.  Regardless of whether he was involved in her death, I'm comfortable speculating that he made her life miserable.

[pook]

Laci Peterson's husband = less creepy

[7thchild]

Laci Peterson's husband = less creepy

I'm with you on that sentiment, watched a minute or 2 of him preaching,  total tmi. I hope someone teaches him about boundaries, the pastor's "sexpectations" of marriage would be about the last thing I'd want to hear in church.

 

[polecat]

As someone who tends to be less outwardly emotional myself, I think it is important to remember that not everyone shows grief in the same way. Showing the biggest display of emotion doesn't mean you care the most - and in fact sometimes the people who make the biggest dramatic display are just trying to get attention for themselves rather than actually caring about the deceased (I've seen cases where someone who didn't care about the deceased in life acted like they were best friends when the deceased passed)   

I have always related to this famous poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning: 

 

 

His grief response  was less bothersome to me than his sermons before her death. He talked about spanking their son for playing with Barbies and went into great, GREAT detail about the many ways his wife fell short sexually. Forget his response after her death -- the man was a grade A dickweed before her death.

 

[SilverBeach]

I remain very bothered by the lack of forced entry. I have heard nothing about how the burglar entered and exited the house.

[Grimalkin]

Laci Peterson's husband = less creepy

you read my mind.

[DomWackTroll]

Many people who aren't familiar with the various fundie subcultures are shocked by the language in his sermons, but as those of us on FJ know, this kind of macho, Driscoll-esque bullshit is all too common for young pastors in the "Emergent Church." Yes, he actually can be that arrogant and controlling and still not be involved in this murder! Hard to believe for "normal" people, I know. 

These videos also reveal how very desperate the Emergent church is to recruit Millennials. "Pleeeease? We'll drink and smoke and talk dirty, just like the cool kids, I promise! It'll be totally rad, bro!"