An Indiana man has been sentenced to life in prison for the 1975 murder of a 17-year-old girl whose body was discovered in a river after she failed to return home from her job at a church camp.
Fred Bandy Jr., 69, received the life sentence with the possibility of parole from a Noble County judge on Tuesday following his conviction for first-degree murder in the death of Laurel Jean Mitchell.
This trial was held more than four decades after the crime took place.
Conviction and co-defendant’s plea
Bandy was charged along with John Wayne Lehman, 69, of Auburn, Indiana, last year in connection with Mitchell’s killing. Lehman received an eight-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit murder.
According to court documents, Mitchell was found drowned in the Elkhart River on August 7, 1975, a day after she went missing in North Webster, roughly 140 miles northeast of Indianapolis. Prosecutors charged Bandy and Lehman in February 2023, nearly 50 years later.
In an August deposition, Lehman said that Bandy raped and drowned Mitchell, while Lehman denied participating in the crime, citing fear of Bandy as a reason for his inaction. According to a probable cause affidavit, investigators believe that Bandy and Lehman “forcibly, deliberately drowned” Mitchell after taking her to the river in Bandy’s vehicle.
DNA evidence leads to breakthrough
Significant advances in forensic science played a crucial role in the investigation. A DNA profile was obtained through testing on clothing worn by Mitchell that had been preserved since 1975.
Bandy voluntarily provided a DNA sample to state police in December 2022 that testing determined was 13 billion times “more likely to be the contributor of the DNA in Laurel J. Mitchell’s clothing than any other unknown person.” This DNA evidence was instrumental in linking him to the crime.
Additionally, testimony from three people who were teenagers at the time of Mitchell’s killing further implicated Bandy and Lehman, revealing incriminating comments they had made about the incident. The combination of DNA evidence and witness testimony led to renewed interest in the cold case, culminating in the recent convictions.
Justice after decades of silence
The case underscores not only the persistent nature of justice but also the advancements in forensic technology that allow law enforcement to revisit decades-old cases.
The resolution of Mitchell’s murder provides a measure of closure for her family and the community, highlighting the ongoing impact of unresolved crimes. As Bandy begins his life sentence, the story of Laurel Jean Mitchell continues to resonate as a tragic reminder of the violence that took her life.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
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