A man imprisoned since last year has been indicted on murder and other charges in the 2012 slaying of a retired farmer found shot to death in his western Indiana home, police said Wednesday.
A Sullivan County grand jury indicted William Ray Grimes on charges of murder, burglary and conspiracy to commit burglary in the December 2012 slaying of Lowell Badger, state police said.
Badger, 85, died during a burglary at his rural Sullivan County home about 30 miles south of Terre Haute. Badger was found dead on the bedroom floor, and a 46-inch TV and safe were taken from his home, Indiana State Police previously said.
Grimes, 38, is currently incarcerated at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility in nearby Carlisle serving a 2023 sentence for battery, theft and unlawful possession of a firearm. The Indiana Department of Correction database shows Grimes' earliest release date is Jan. 2, 2053.
A phone message seeking comment was left for an attorney who represented him in that case.
"This is the beginning of the criminal process," special prosecutor Rob Roberts said in a news release. "Once again, we encourage anyone that has information related to the murder of Mr. Badger to contact the Indiana State Police."
After leaving a phone message for Roberts to request details on the investigation that led to Grimes, police investigators in December 2021 once again asked for information regarding Badger's killing. This plea came a year following the release of photos by the police, showcasing vehicles that were potentially in the vicinity around the time of Badger's murder. These images were extracted from a gas station's surveillance footage in Graysville, located a few miles east of the Illinois state border.
As of December 2021, detectives had pursued over 275 leads, conducted close to 170 interviews, and combed through various areas of land and water in Sullivan County as part of their inquiry. The Sullivan County Sheriff's Office had previously mentioned that law enforcement utilized aircraft, all-terrain vehicles, boats, and SCUBA divers during the search.
A reward of approximately $30,000 was put forward for any information that could lead to the apprehension and conviction of the individuals responsible for Badger's demise.
