Re: UPDATE - Death of 2 sisters - Boyfriend charged with murder


"tiny dancer" <tinydancer357@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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"Lorraine" <remtoxicvapor@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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Photo with article at

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071011/LOCAL/710110470/-1/LOCAL17


CENTERVILLE, Ind. -- A 19-year-old Centerville woman likely was
strangled by hand as she slept in a bedroom with her boyfriend and
infant daughter, court documents revealed Wednesday.


James McFarland, 23, who was in bed with Erin Stanley at the time of her
death, was formally charged with murder in Wayne Circuit Court on
Wednesday. He is being held without bail in the Wayne County Jail.
McFarland, who had been staying in Cambridge City in recent weeks, was
arrested Tuesday afternoon after investigators received the final report
from a pathologist confirming early findings that Stanley had been
strangled, said Wayne County Prosecutor Michael Shipman.

The deaths of Stanley on Sept. 1 and her 18-year-old sister, Kelly
Stanley, six days later have plunged this small eastern Indiana town
into an all-too-real murder mystery. And authorities still have given no
indication of what a motive might have been.

Kelly Stanley, like her sister, was found dead in their parents' home.
Investigators have yet to determine how Kelly died.

Lonny Stanley, the sisters' mother, called for an ambulance for Erin
about 5:15 a.m. Sept. 1. Although she suggested during the 911 call that
her daughter was still trying to breathe, court documents filed
Wednesday indicate Stanley likely was dead before a police officer
arrived.

Lonny Stanley later told investigators that "was more of a hope than an
observation," according to a probable cause affidavit.

The police officer, who was the first to arrive, noted that Stanley's
eyes were shut, her teeth were clenched and her lips were blue and that
she was not breathing, according to the document filed Wednesday.

McFarland told investigators that he and Stanley had gone to bed about
midnight. He said he was awakened by the baby crying and tried
unsuccessfully to wake Stanley. He alerted Stanley's mother, who called
911.

An autopsy revealed a large amount of bleeding in the throat and larynx,
the affidavit stated. Signs of bruising in the neck area were further
indications she had been strangled.

"The location of the bruising appeared as though someone had used their
hands and squeezed on Stanley's throat," the affidavit noted.

"At the time of Erin Stanley's death, the only persons in the residence
other than James McFarland, who by his own admission was in bed with her
at the time of her death, were her parents and the couple's infant
daughter," the affidavit states.

Kelly Stanley spent that night at a friend's house, one of her coworkers
has said.

After Erin Stanley's death, McFarland moved to Cambridge City, where he
told the Richmond Palladium-Item he was devastated by her death and
wanted police to catch the person responsible.

An 81-year-old neighbor who lived across the street described McFarland
as friendly and helpful to others along the street. He said McFarland
had helped a woman in the neighborhood move Tuesday.

"Just to talk to him, he didn't strike you as that kind of guy," Cleo
Rybolt said in reference to the murder charge. "He was friendly and
soft-spoken."

Lori Duran, who lived next door to the home where McFarland was staying,
said the two of them would often sit on her front porch and talk. "He
seemed really nice."

McFarland told the Richmond newspaper that his daughter was living with
Stanley's parents after his girlfriend's death, but he wanted custody of
her. Duran said McFarland talked about how he wanted custody and "was
upset about that."

McFarland had gone to the unemployment office in Richmond to look for a
job, she said. "I think he was planning on not going to jail,
obviously."

According to the probable cause affidavit, McFarland has a "minor
misdemeanor criminal history in Wayne County and he is believed to have
a minor misdemeanor criminal history in other locations." Officials
would not elaborate Wednesday.

Shipman, the prosecutor, said investigators continue to wait for a
determination on how Kelly Stanley died. Toxicology reports came back
"clean," meaning they showed no signs of alcohol or drugs, Shipman has
said.

Now, additional toxicology tests are being done, and the pathologist
working on the case is discussing it with other pathologists, Shipman
said.


I saw this on Greta last night. Very strange case, 'eh? With the other
sister *dying* like she did. On Greta I think it was, I heard something
about the girls parents not wanting him to move into their home. They
wanted their daughter and granddaughter to move in there, but not the
boyfriend/father of the baby. Didn't say why though.

td

The article is unclear (to me anyway) about when the bf moved away, after
Erin's death. Apparently he moved out before Kelly's death? But didn't he
kill her too? So why would autopsy and path reports take so long? (I can't
figure out why they waited so long to arrest him in the first place.)

jc


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