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New York Post
08-05-2025
- New York Post
Armed vigilante gunned down by cops in failed revenge hit on suspect who killed his young great-grandkids
An armed man on a vigilante mission to avenge the killing of his great-grandchildren was gunned down in a chaotic shootout with deputies escorting inmates in front of an Indiana courthouse Tuesday, according to family and officials. The 65-year-old shooter, Mark Vawter, showed up at the Hendricks County Courthouse at 12:55 p.m. with the intention of slaughtering S'Doni Pettis, who's accused of killing Vawter's young grandchildren in a fiery car crash during a February police chase. While trying to evade capture, Pettis, 25, slammed the stolen Honda Civic he was driving into a Ford Explorer containing 3-year-old Ares and 2-month-old Iris, according to court records. Advertisement The youngsters were horribly burned when the Explorer — driven by their dad — exploded into a fireball. 6 Mark Vawter was identified as the armed vigilante killed by police outside the Hendricks County Courthouse on May 6, 2025. Family Handout via WTHR Iris, who had just left her 2-month doctor checkup about 30 minutes before the crash, died at the scene. Good Samaritans and officers heroically pulled Ares out of the inferno. Advertisement He was rushed to the hospital with burns on 60 percent of his body. The family took him off life support a few days later, according to reports. Pettis was supposed to have a court appearance in the vehicular manslaughter case Tuesday, but unbeknownst to Vawter, it had been rescheduled. An armed Vawter was spotted leaning against a courthouse wall when the deputies started to transport the inmates. 6 S'Doni Pettis is suspected in causing the fatal crash while escaping capture from police in February. Avon Police Advertisement He approached and confronted the group, firing off at least one shot shortly after, according to officials and reports. His shot did not hit anyone, but two Hendricks County Sheriff's Deputies, Zachary Emmitt and Deputy Nathan Phillips, returned fire and did not miss. Vawter was pronounced dead at the scene, according to officials. 6 Street camera captured the aftermath of the deadly crash at the intersection of U.S. 40 and Ronald Reagan Parkway in Plainfield, Indiana. WRTV Advertisement The great-grandfather spoke with the IndyStar at Riley Hospital for Children just days after the fatal fiery crash, as he was observing a Walk of Honor for little Ares, who became an organ donor after his death. 'It should have been Ares who buried me, not me burying him,' an emotional Vawter said at the time. 'He was so young.' Neighbors suspect Vawter had been planning his revenge for weeks, according to I-Team 8. 6 Indiana State Police investigate the officer-involved shooting outside the courthouse on May 6, 2025. WTHR 6 The two young children, Iris and Ares killed in the February crash. WRTV Dennis and Charlotte Wagoner said they had a disturbing conversation with Vawter weeks before the shootout in which he told them that he didn't have long to live. 'I think that he was planning it, to go over there at the Courthouse and take out that guy who took out his grandkids,' Charlotte Wagoner said. 'It didn't mean anything to me [at the time]. I just thought maybe he was confused or something. The way he put it. It's kind of spooky now,' Dennis Wagoner said. Advertisement 6 The Hendricks County Courthouse where Vawter was killed. Google Maps Prosecutors, citing a 'public safety interest,' now want Pettis to appear remotely for all future court hearings and have requested the court deny the public access to his records, according to CBS4Indy. They argued that giving the public access to Pettis's court dates could 'create the opportunity for further attempts at vigilantism or reprisals,' imperiling the lives of other inmates, deputies and passersby. Advertisement Indiana State Police is conducting an investigation into the shooting at the request of the Hendricks County Sheriff. Cameras in the area captured the shooting, officials said. The two deputies who fatally shot Vawter were placed on administrative leave while the probe is ongoing.
Newsweek
30-04-2025
- Newsweek
Fox Hollow Murder Case Gets Update After Hulu Documentary Release
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Herb Baumeister, a businessman and father of three, is believed to have killed at least 25 men—primarily gay men in their twenties and thirties—between the mid-1980s and 1996. His estate in Westfield, Indiana, became the focal point of a major investigation after thousands of bone fragments were discovered on the property. He died by suicide in 1996 before he could be arrested or tried. The renewed investigation and victim identification effort has been led by Hamilton County Coroner Jeff Jellison, who reopened the case in 2022, according to Indianapolis Monthly. What to Know About the Fox Hollow Farm Murders The Fox Hollow Farm murders refer to the series of killings attributed to Herb Baumeister, whose property became the burial ground for an unknown number of victims. Investigators believe he targeted gay men from Indianapolis' downtown bar scene and brought them back to his home, where he murdered them. The exact number of victims remains unknown, but officials estimate it may exceed 25. Initial suspicions in the early 1990s were largely confined to Indianapolis' LGBTQ+ community, which tracked a disturbing pattern of disappearances. Police interest intensified after Baumeister's 13-year-old son found a human skull on the property in 1994, reported the Indianapolis Monthly. Despite that, a full investigation didn't unfold until 1996, when Baumeister's wife allowed authorities to search the estate. The same day, they discovered human remains in the woods behind the house. Baumeister killed himself in Canada days later. Though some remains were identified using dental records, thousands of bone fragments were left unexamined until 2022, when Jellison reopened the case. What Is the Update in the Fox Hollow Murder Case? On April 29, Daniel Thomas Halloran was officially identified as the tenth victim of Baumeister through genetic genealogy testing and a DNA match sourced from his late mother's autopsy file. He was one of the men killed and buried at Baumeister's Indiana estate, known as Fox Hollow Farm, according to WRTV. "This identification is a significant development in our ongoing efforts to provide answers to the families of those who went missing," Jellison said in a statement obtained by WRTV. "We are grateful for the expertise of Othram and the advances in forensic science that made this possible." His identification was not straightforward. A genealogy report by Othram Inc. in Texas suggested Halloran was likely the victim, but he had no living immediate relatives—his mother, father and brother were dead. The Indianapolis Star reported that Halloran's mother had died from a drug overdose and that the Marion County Coroner's office had a swab of her DNA. Jellison later located Halloran's daughter to inform her of the identification. She was about 2 years old at the time he was killed, the Indianapolis Star reported. Halloran is the second victim to be identified since Jellison reopened the case in 2022. The coroner's office has also identified 27-year-old Allen Livingston, who disappeared in August 1993 and confirmed the identities of two previously named victims from the 1990s—31-year-old Jeffrey A. Jones and 34-year-old Manuel Resendez—through updated DNA analysis, according to the Indianapolis Star. Three additional unidentified remains are now undergoing similar analysis. What to Know About Herb Baumeister Baumeister was a business owner and lived with his family in a mansion on an 18-acre property called Fox Hollow Farm, according to Indianapolis Monthly. Between the 1980s and 1990s, he is suspected of luring men from Indianapolis gay bars like The Metro, Varsity Lounge, and 501 Tavern. When police were finally able to search his property in 1996, they found more than 10,000 bone fragments scattered in the woods. When Baumeister fled to Canada, he wrote a lengthy, three-page suicide note in which he expressed remorse over his failing marriage and warned that he would be leaving a mess behind at the park where he planned to take his life. The note made no reference to the murders or the allegations against him, reported Indianapolis Monthly. The original case was poorly publicized. "It never made the TV news ever," said Ted Fleischaker, publisher of The Word, to Indianapolis Monthly. Hamilton County Coroner Jellison has publicly criticized the 1990s-era investigation, saying the victims were largely ignored because they were gay men. Authorities have confirmed these ten men as victims of Herb Baumeister, each of whom disappeared from Indianapolis in the early to mid-1990s, according to the Indianapolis Star: Roger Alan Goodlet, age 33. Michael Frederick Keirn, age 50. Steven Spurlin Hale, age 28. Manuel M. Resendez, age 31. Jeffrey Allan Jones, age 37. Richard Douglas Hamilton Jr., age 23 Johnny Bayer, age 26 Allen Wayne Broussard, age 32. Allen Livingston, age 27. Daniel Thomas Halloran, 30 years old How to Stream the Fox Hollow Murder Docuseries Hulu's The Fox Hollow Murders: A Serial Killer's Playground is available for streaming exclusively on the Hulu platform. The documentary, produced by ABC News Studios, presents archival footage, interviews with family members, and commentary from investigators and local journalists. The series premiered in February and is accessible with a standard Hulu subscription. New viewers can sign up for a free trial to stream the full docuseries. What People Are Saying Coroner Jeff Jellison told Indianapolis Monthly in February: "It's my opinion that the attitude of those involved in the investigation in the '90s was, 'This is eight gay men from Indianapolis. What do we care?'" Dr. Krista Latham, director of the University of Indianapolis Human Identification Center, told the same outlet: "They were mistreated in life. My obligation to them is to make sure that they get that name, that they get the respect, that they get what they deserve to have been given in life in death." Robert Graves, the farm's current owner, told WTHR point to the home's pool: "This probably is the largest serial murder case in the United States, certainly. This is where he would have killed them. It's pretty much the way it was. That wall was red – not blue – but otherwise, it's the same. So the pool was the lure. That's what he used to get the guys to come up." How Many Episodes Is Hulu's Fox Hollow Murder Docuseries? The Hulu docuseries consists of four episodes, each running between 40 and 60 minutes. The series explores Baumeister's life, the victims' stories, and the investigation's reopening. Each episode traces different aspects of the case, from Baumeister's public image as a family man to the forensic efforts that continue decades after his death. The final episode focuses on the new technologies and personal stories propelling the case forward. What's Next Jellison says three additional samples have already been sent for testing, and more identifications are expected. The renewed investigation continues to receive cooperation from the FBI, Indiana State Police, and the University of Indianapolis. "This is the second largest investigation of unidentified human remains in this country, second only to the World Trade Center," Jellison told Indianapolis Monthly. Authorities continue to ask families with missing relatives from the 1980s and 1990s—especially those believed to be part of Indianapolis' LGBTQ+ community—to submit DNA for comparison. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Hamilton County Coroner's Office at 317-770-4415.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Yahoo
18-year-old student accused of planning Valentine's Day school shooting facing charges
An 18-year-old student accused of planning a Valentine's Day school shooting in Indiana is facing charges. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Authorities say Trinity Shockley shared those plans with another user on the chat platform, Discord, according to CNN Newsource affiliate WRTV in Indianapolis. He is facing several charges including conspiracy to commit murder. TRENDING STORIES: Former Ohio State quarterback, team captain dies 'I played dead;' Man covered in bruises thankful after surviving violent armed robbery School bus sustains damage after crash on icy road The FBI received a tip about a person's plans to potentially carry out a shooting at Mooresville High School and notified police, according to Mooresville Police Chief Kerry Buckner. Detectives worked with the Morgan County Sheriff's office. They executed a search warrant and took Shockley in custody, Chief Buckner said. Police said Shockley is accused of telling the user that they had been planning the shooting for a year and would target their 'crush.' The suspect identifies as a transgender man, WRTV reports. We will update this story. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Melyssa Hubbard, Indianapolis dominatrix turned political activist, has died
Melyssa Hubbard (nee Donaghy), a dominatrix turned political activist, was found dead Friday. She was 62 years old. The cause of death wasn't immediately available. Hubbard first came to public attention in May 2003, when WRTV reported that she was working as a professional dominatrix out of her Meridian-Kessler basement. The Dungeon Arts Reformatory offered consensual role-playing activities for clients, who knew Hubbard as Miss Maitresse Ann. Police who looked into the operation didn't find anything untoward. The publicity still hurt business, though, and Hubbard wrote in her memoir that she spent her newfound time on "activities that would advance (her) interest in personal freedom." That led her to libertarian politics, she wrote. Despite being publicly outed as a dominatrix, Hubbard continued engaging in Indianapolis' fetish scene, organizing the Erotic Arts Ball and opening a bondage boutique in Chatham Arts. In November 2004, a sheriff's deputy came to Hubbard's front door wielding a lawsuit filed against her by the city alleging that her boutique and in-home business violated city zoning law. She wrote that she confronted then-Mayor Bart Peterson at a press conference the next day. Hubbard eventually agreed to shut down the Dungeon after more than two years of litigation. The boutique had closed before the lawsuit was even filed, according to Hubbard's memoir. After the lawsuit ended, Hubbard "killed off Miss Ann" and eventually took a job in advertisement sales at Angie's List. Former coworker Karey Morris recalled Hubbard as a vibrant, loving presence who went out of her way to help new hires. "The lore around her was awesome," Morris said. She recalled that Hubbard's desk was decorated with memorabilia from George Washington's childhood home, fresh flowers and a leather riding crop. Around the time Hubbard began working at Angie's List, she began volunteering as an advocate for radical tax reform, proposing elimination of the IRS, income and property taxes. More: Former dominatrix Melyssa Hubbard still speaks her mind A 2007 property tax increase brought Hubbard back into the media spotlight — this time as a political activist. "I'd always had a knack for getting people to move and gather at parties, fetish events, the Erotic Arts Ball — a political demonstration would be no different," Hubbard wrote. Hubbard was right. Her rallies against Peterson and taxation drew hundreds of supporters. She recalled in a 2013 IndyStar interview that someone in one of the crowds said, "we need a tea party." Sean Shepard, a longtime political acquaintance, recalled that one demonstration featured a giant handmade teabag. It was filled with tax assessments and then "steeped" in the Broad Ripple Canal. Hubbard went on to found Indiana's Tea Party, though she left after it was "hijacked by GOP operatives," she told IndyStar in 2013. After the publication of Hubbard's 2014 memoir, "Spanking City Hall: Dominatrix to Political Activist," she focused on "the simple life," but she was never a simple person, according to her good friend Erick Faust. "She loved the dive bars, but yet she could put on a feast fit for a president or coronation," Faust said. "The dichotomies within herself were just amazing." Faust described Hubbard as fiercely loyal in her relationships and in her beliefs. "Mely could make friends anywhere, and she could make enemies anywhere," he said. "There was no in-between." Ryan Murphy is the communities reporter for IndyStar. She can be reached at rhmurphy@ or at (317) 800-2956. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Melyssa Hubbard, Indianapolis dominatrix and Tea Party founder, dies
