INFAMOUS: Prom Night Murders
In 1989 the small town of Lakeville, Indiana was rocked but the massacre of a pastor and his family. The pastor’s only surviving son was ultimately convicted of this infamous crime but there is more to this twisted story then has ever been told before.
On April 29th, 2021 (the 32nd anniversary of the crime) the audiochuck original podcast CounterClock will be releasing 20 episodes on this case to binge! Listen and determine for yourself if Jeff Pelley is guilty and right where he should be, serving a life sentence in prison. OR… if a pastor’s secret past caught up to him and his son was wrongfully convicted for the crime.
We’d love to speak with you and see how we can support.
If you’re a law enforcement agency or family member of one of the people we mentioned in this episode, or if you’re looking for more coverage on a case, please reach out. You can email us at:
Episode Source Material
- CBS 48 Hours – Live to Tell: Murder on Prom Night
- The Indianapolis News: Officials quiet on details in slayings of 4 in family
- The Times (Munster, IN): No arrest Imminent in slaying of four
- The Herald (Jasper, IN): Investigators in slaying no closer to arrest, by Thomas P. Wyman
- Journal & Courier (Lafayette, IN): Congregation prays for killer
- Muncie Evening Press: Police report no new leads in family shooting
- The Indianapolis Star: No arrests made 6 months after minister’s family slain, by Karen Murphy
- The Herald (Jasper, IN): Everything and nothing changed after minister’s slaying, by Thomas P. Wyman
- The South Bend Tribune: Shotgun slayings of Pelley family remain mystery
- The South Bend Tribune: Jeff Pelley sentenced in Fraud case
- The South Bend Tribune: Pelley still a suspect in ’89 slayings, by Kevin Boughal
- The Daily Journal (Franklin, IN): Murder Case Reopened
- The South Bend Tribune: Pelley arrested, by Linda Mullen
- Tampa Bay Times: Son arrested in ’89 slaying of dad, 3 family members, by Brady Dennis
- The Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY): Son arrested in 1989 deaths of Family, by Tom Coyne
- The South Bend Tribune: Pelley battles for bond, by Marti Goodlad Heline
- The South Bend Tribune: Pelley’s family argues for bond, by Marti Goodlad Heline
- The Tampa Tribune: Suspect in ’89 family slaying freed on bail, by Missy Stoddard
- The South Bend Tribune: Prosecution faces tough climb in Pelley case, by Patrick M. O’Connell
- The South Bend Tribune: Pelley’s fatal injuries detailed, by Patrick M. O’Connell and Marti Goodlad Heline
- The South Bend Tribune: Pelley jury weighing evidence in slaying, by Marti Goodlad Heline and Patrick M. O’Connell
- The South Bend Tribune: Pelley jury still pondering, by Marti Goodlad Heline and Patrick M. O’Connell
- The South Bend Tribune: Crime-scene evidence fails to link Pelley to murders, by Marti Goodlad Heline
Suggested Episodes
WANTED: Justice for Rhys Pocan & MMIW Part 1
In 2021, we set out to cover the case of Rhys Pocan, a 35-year-old Indigenous woman who was murdered in Wisconsin in the ‘80s. But while we were in the field, we uncovered a disturbing pattern of murders with similarities to Rhys’ that were just too blatant to ignore. So, we spent the next three years working with local and federal law enforcement to try and get to the bottom of it.
WANTED: The Keddie Cabin Killer
A family’s brutal murder rocks a tiny California town and leaves behind too many unanswered questions.
WANTED: Justice for MMIP
May is Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Month, and we want to highlight some of the many cases involving members of Native American communities that so often go underreported and underserved, and thus unsolved.
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