GUILTY IN - Melinda Lindsey, 23, shot to death, Porter County, 16 Jan 2015 - #2

[ArabianLover]

I think these are HUGE problems. Someone started a movie at 4:33 a.m. or a little after in that house. Someone was up at that time to start that movie, and had to have done so with the intention of watching it. I don't remember this being reported during the last trial.

I also don't recall this being reported during the last trial. I also don't recall the zip ties being specialty zip ties.

I agree. This is HUGE.

 

[HistoryNut]

Here's something else that's really huge....
http://www.chicagotribune.com/subur...dsey-trial-friday-st-0305-20160304-story.html

IMO, it was a big oversight that a handwriting analysis wasn't done on the letter, but I hope that doesn't matter to the jury. If SL didn't write it, then who did? From my perspective, the letter, along with the staged incidents of a "stalker", were part of his plan to torment and destroy her. And, she was so terrified of him that she wrote down the phone numbers of several LE agencies, including one for missing and exploited children, which was obviously because he kidnapped their daughter and took her to his brother's house just weeks before Melinda's murder. I realize that we only get snippets of the testimony that takes place in the courtroom each day through newspaper articles, but if the prosecution hasn't already driven this fact home already, I really hope they do so next week.

I, for one, find his letter laughable, because based on everything I have read, HE was the worst kind of husband, father and pet owner imaginable. He made a conscientious decision to not get a job which forced his wife and daughter to live in poverty and was seriously behind on his support payments for his other child. Instead of paying his garbage bill, rent and other obligations, he took a cruise and he made darn sure he had enough money to buy booze and make payments on the life insurance policy until December. Within days of her murder, he had her two healthy dogs euthanized instead of giving them to family/friends or a shelter, not to mention that searches for adoption agencies were found on his computer.

I believe that all of his actions demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt that he planned get rid of Melinda, his child and the dogs, and then take the life insurance money and disappear into thin air. He knew there was a grace period on the policy and that he was running out of time to collect so he put his plan in motion by staging stalking incidents and reporting them to the authorities just before a "stalker" mysteriously enters their home where he conveniently finds a gun and zip ties. Next, he renders SL unconscious in a way that is not logistically possible, murders Melinda and then flees into the night without leaving any evidence that he was ever there.

In light of the new evidence that has been presented in this trial and since all the other "suspects" have been eliminated, how could any jury not conclude that this is an iron-clad case of premeditated murder?

 

[skinnycat]

HistoryNut I agree whole heartedly with you,

I can not see a jury of 12 sane people thinking that anyone other than SL committed the murder of Melinda

 

[HistoryNut]

I also find this to be very interesting and would love to know who turned the movie on. It is highly unlikely that the dogs or the baby did it and since SL has already claimed he fell asleep at 2:00 a.m. and Melinda was asleep, he can't change his story now. Maybe the "stalker" decided to watch a quick flick in the same room where SL was sleeping/passed out before he choked him out and then murdered Melinda?

 

[HistoryNut]

HistoryNut I agree whole heartedly with you,

I can not see a jury of 12 sane people thinking that anyone other than SL committed the murder of Melinda

Thanks, Skinnycat. Based on the newspaper coverage of this trial, things seem to be going much differently than before. I think having a longer trial has allowed the prosecution to adequately build their case against SL and the defense is struggling to create any kind of reasonable doubt. It will be interesting to see if they put SL on the stand this time because it will be nearly impossible to explain away some of the new evidence against him.

 

[HistoryNut]

I don't either! I also don't remember the defense sounding quite so desperate in the last trial either! Hog-tying? Why would he even ask that question??? And yesterday asking Melinda's mom if she or their family had "disliked Lindsey because he is part Korean". Roger's also asked her if "anyone (her or anyone in her family) used any racial epithets for Asians toward Lindsey or his daughter with Melinda, which she denied.

I found this line of questioning offensive and out of line. That baby is this woman's own granddaughter. And by all accounts, she loves this baby. And they may not have liked SL. But it was because he treated their daughter poorly and because he's a jerk. Not because of his ancestory. Grasping at straws, if you ask me.

You're exactly right. I think the defense's attempt to pull the race card with Melinda's mom was a really bad strategy and it will backfire. If her parents didn't like him, it was probably because he refused to get a job which forced their daughter and grandchild to live on the brink of financial disaster, not because his heritage. I also cannot imagine they were happy about paying his bills to support his parasitic lifestyle. When you add in the fact that he didn't even have the decency or compassion to let them know she had been murdered, it's hard to believe that any jury would buy into this obvious line of BS.

 

[starryfive]

Is there any chance the movie might have been on auto-play? I used this feature when my kids were younger. It would play the movie again once it was over.

But the zip ties... only someone in the electrical field, or someone who goes to an electrical store can get them? That's a limited range of suspects.

It was mentioned that Steve's brother, Shawn, had access to the zip ties through his work. Is there any chance that his brother did this?? Does he have an alibi? If Steve called Shawn on a cell phone, it would show where Shawn was at the time of the call. I don't know how close they live to each other.

The dogs likely are familiar with Shawn - no barking.
Steve could let him inside the house - no breakage.
The timing of the phone calls - was this to give Shawn time to get out??

It's pretty clear that there was no stalker. So it had to be someone familiar with the home.

All above is my random thoughts.

Other zip ties found in the garage holding items together were also not the same, and a search of local hardware, hobby and retail stores found the exact model were only carried by an electrical supply company, Dziedzinski said.

He also said NIPSCO used them, and he said Steven Lindsey's brother, Shawn Lindsey, worked for NIPSCO, and Steven Lindsey worked for a NIPSCO subcontractor, Asplundh.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/news/ct-ptb-lindsey-trial-friday-st-0305-20160304-story.html

 

[DisneyFan]

It appears this young woman ML was afraid of her husband and controlled by fear.
This breaks my heart.

Additionally, think of the ex wife and their son. How fortunate she escaped this wrath. Easily could have been a Scott Petersen situation.

 

[Tina Grant]

It appears this young woman ML was afraid of her husband and controlled by fear.
This breaks my heart.

Additionally, think of the ex wife and their son. How fortunate she escaped this wrath. Easily could have been a Scott Petersen situation.

Both of his children are victims of this. His daughter will be essentially an orphan, dependent on relatives or god forbid the foster care system. His son will be the kid in school whose dad is in prison for murder.

I hope he rots for the sake of their future suffering as much as I do for the life he took.

 

[skinnycat]

It appears this young woman ML was afraid of her husband and controlled by fear.
This breaks my heart.

Additionally, think of the ex wife and their son. How fortunate she escaped this wrath. Easily could have been a Scott Petersen situation.

After hearing that he told Melinda that his first wife and child were deceased it has always made me wonder if SL had plans to get rid of them, but the xwife got rid of SL first.

I really hope that Melinda's loved ones either family or dear friends have baby girl so they can keep Melinda's memory alive for her,

 

[ArabianLover]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/subur...dsey-trial-friday-st-0305-20160304-story.html

A handwritten note found in Steven and Melinda Lindsey's trash the day she was killed accused her of being a bad mother, a bad pet owner and a bad wife, according to the police officer who went through the couple's trash on Jan. 16, 2015.

Wow...this just breaks my heart all over again for poor Melinda.

Although I am sure *most* of us recognize SL's narcissistic projecting for what it is, I am sure these words hurt Melinda very deeply.

He is such an abusive . He cheats on his first wife. He lies to Melinda, telling her his first wife and his son are BOTH DEAD, making himself appear "available". He gets Melinda pregnant, promises her the moon, but only delivers nightmares and poverty. He sends her to her parents for MONEY and the can't even *ACT* like he's grateful. Instead he's a standoffish jerk

That movie starting at or near 4:30 is gnawing at me. I wish we knew if Melinda's blood had began to coagulate. Since she was still alive when LE arrived, we don't know what time the shooting really happened. And we certainly can't go by what SL "says". Was he waiting for her to die before calling for help? Do we know if the gun jammed? And, 4:30 is really close to the time she was known to get up and start cooking for the baby, right?

 

[ArabianLover]

I really don't think it's going to matter that they didn't have a hand writing analyst check the letter written to Melinda. It was either SL or "the stalker". Now, if it were "the stalker" one would THINK they would have taken it to the police, right? The baby didn't write it. The dogs didn't write it. Hmmm, who's that leave??

 

[molly1255]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/subur...dsey-trial-friday-st-0305-20160304-story.html

A handwritten note found in Steven and Melinda Lindsey's trash the day she was killed accused her of being a bad mother, a bad pet owner and a bad wife, according to the police officer who went through the couple's trash on Jan. 16, 2015.

Wow...this just breaks my heart all over again for poor Melinda.

Although I am sure *most* of us recognize SL's narcissistic projecting for what it is, I am sure these words hurt Melinda very deeply.

He is such an abusive . He cheats on his first wife. He lies to Melinda, telling her his first wife and his son are BOTH DEAD, making himself appear "available". He gets Melinda pregnant, promises her the moon, but only delivers nightmares and poverty. He sends her to her parents for MONEY and the can't even *ACT* like he's grateful. Instead he's a standoffish jerk

That movie starting at or near 4:30 is gnawing at me. I wish we knew if Melinda's blood had began to coagulate. Since she was still alive when LE arrived, we don't know what time the shooting really happened. And we certainly can't go by what SL "says". Was he waiting for her to die before calling for help? Do we know if the gun jammed? And, 4:30 is really close to the time she was known to get up and start cooking for the baby, right?

Narcissistic projecting is exactly what I thought when I read about that note. She was known to rise at 5 a.m. to cook breakfast.

I'm starting to think there may have been a big fight before all of this happened.

 

[ArabianLover]

Narcissistic projecting is exactly what I thought when I read about that note. She was known to rise at 5 a.m. to cook breakfast.

I'm starting to think there may have been a big fight before all of this happened.

Something was going on before this all happened. He had drained his retirement account. They weren't paying their rent or their garbage pick-up. There was $13.00 in the checking account. He was several months (years) behind in child support on his son with his ex-wife. Neither one of them were working. Yet they had made all but that last payment on the $1.1M life insurance policy.

SL opened that credit card and they charged that cruise that they took. But he never made one single payment on the credit card. It could be argued that he intended to use the life insurance money to pay off the credit card.

I wonder if there will be a "girlfriend" who takes the stand during this trial. I also wonder if SL himself will take the stand again. I don't know how he can't. They somehow need to dispute all of this evidence they have against him. But that could prove to be disasrerous for the defense as well. It's going to look really bad if he doesn't, and you can bet he will be destroyed on cross if he does take the stand.

Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.
-Sir Walter Scott

 

[molly1255]

Something was going on before this all happened. He had drained his retirement account. They weren't paying their rent or their garbage pick-up. There was $13.00 in the checking account. He was several months (years) behind in child support on his son with his ex-wife. Neither one of them were working. Yet they had made all but that last payment on the $1.1M life insurance policy.

SL opened that credit card and they charged that cruise that they took. But he never made one single payment on the credit card. It could be argued that he intended to use the life insurance money to pay off the credit card.

I wonder if there will be a "girlfriend" who takes the stand during this trial. I also wonder if SL himself will take the stand again. I don't know how he can't. They somehow need to dispute all of this evidence they have against him. But that could prove to be disasrerous for the defense as well. It's going to look really bad if he doesn't, and you can bet he will be destroyed on cross if he does take the stand.

Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.
-Sir Walter Scott

I agree. I think he is damned if he takes the stand and he will be damned if he doesn't. I wonder if he takes the stand whether the prosecution can address his testimony from the previous trial? Numerous things in what was reported he said in the previous trial don't seem to fit - specifically the financial situation.

 

[ArabianLover]

I agree. I think he is damned if he takes the stand and he will be damned if he doesn't. I wonder if he takes the stand whether the prosecution can address his testimony from the previous trial? Numerous things in what was reported he said in the previous trial don't seem to fit - specifically the financial situation.

I am almost positive the prosecution can and will use SL's testimony from the previous trial.

 

[Tina Grant]

After hearing that he told Melinda that his first wife and child were deceased it has always made me wonder if SL had plans to get rid of them, but the xwife got rid of SL first.

I really hope that Melinda's loved ones either family or dear friends have baby girl so they can keep Melinda's memory alive for her,

I just hope she is with someone who will love and care for her, and give her a stable family life. It doesn't sound to me like SL's brother is the man for the job. Considering Steven was looking at adoption sites, I doubt if the brother raising the baby was part of the plan.

I hope that Melinda's family is able to take her. It seems like her only shot at a decent upbringing.

 

[cardinalgirl]

I really don't think it's going to matter that they didn't have a hand writing analyst check the letter written to Melinda. It was either SL or "the stalker". Now, if it were "the stalker" one would THINK they would have taken it to the police, right? The baby didn't write it. The dogs didn't write it. Hmmm, who's that leave??

Why can't they do a handwriting analysis now?

 

[ArabianLover]

Why can't they do a handwriting analysis now?

Because the trial has already started and all of the hearings have been done where they approve and accept the evidence and witnesses. If the prosecution felt it was important, they could maybe request it to be tested at this point. But the defense would have a say in this also. And I'm sure they would fight to keep it from being tested.

I really don't think it's going to matter in the end.

This case appears to be a very strong circumstantial evidence case. In my opinion, these types of cases can be much more powerful and convincing than cases with hard evidence like eye-witnesses, DNA & finger prints. Each one of these "circumstances" all on their own might have a reasonable explaination. But when they are all put together on the time-line with the facts as we know them, the problems are glaring and there is no way to overcome all of this.

This trial has really given me a completely different feeling. The last trial I felt anxious and a little excited for SL to be convicted. I also felt lots of sadness for both families, and for both of the children. But this trial has me feeling almost sick to my stomach. The prosecution is really "showing" and "telling" how callous and cruel SL treated Melinda. And how calculating he was when he planned and carried out this horrible crime.

This note SL wrote is so dispicable. Telling Melinda she is a "bad Mom, a bad pet owner and a bad wife."

This is coming from a guy who cheated on his first wife, doesn't pay his child support, doesn't support his second wife & child, is mean, cruel, & abusive, sent the dogs off to be killed after his wife's murder, & didn't even bother to give his wife a service after her murder, or notify her parents of her death.

 

[skinnycat]

I sure hope the jury sees that letter for what it is, it shows SL emotional abuse of Melinda, I hope his own writings help convict him. To be so young and yet to have lived with so much abuse by the person that you gave your life to, the person that was to love and protect you, as the mom of a child Melinda's age it would kill me to know my child was being treated so cruelly by their spouse, my heart breaks for her parents.

Thinking about SL's brother, his wife just might want to be careful, especially if the brother was helping SL with the stalker tale, it really shows his character.