GUILTY IN - Thomas Grill Jr., 18, & Molley Lanham, 19, murdered, Lake County, 25 Feb 2019 *arrests*

[Niner]

Tuesday, June 22nd:
*Trial continues (Day 10) (@ 9am CT) – IN - Thomas Grill, Jr. (18) & Molley R. Lanham (19) (Feb. 25, 2019, St. John; found in Hebron, in burned out car) – for *John Salvadore Silva II (17/now 18) arrested & charged (5/22/20) with 2 felony counts of murder in the perpetration of a robbery. Plead not guilty. No bond.
Trial began on 6/1/21 (9 days: 6/1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16 & 17 & 21, 22 & 23).
Court info from 8/10/20 thru 5/25/21 & Jury selection (6/1/21) & Trial Day 1-8 (6/2/21 & 6/17/21) reference post #179 here:
IN - Thomas Grill Jr., 18, & Molley Lanham, 19, murdered, Lake County, 25 Feb 2019 *arrests*
6/21/21 Monday, Day 9 of Trial: No info available. Trial continues on Monday, 6/22/21.
Accomplice:
*Connor Ralland Kerner (17/now 19) – Found guilty. 12/8/20: Sentenced to 179 years in prison. Filed an appeal on 5/13/21.

 

[Niner]

This should be the last day of trial - or - @FrostedGlass are there any updates?

Wednesday, June 23rd:
*Trial continues (Day 11) (@ 9am CT) – IN - Thomas Grill, Jr. (18) & Molley R. Lanham (19) (Feb. 25, 2019, St. John; found in Hebron, in burned out car) – for *John Salvadore Silva II (17/now 18) arrested & charged (5/22/20) with 2 felony counts of murder in the perpetration of a robbery. Plead not guilty. No bond.
Trial began on 6/1/21 (12 days: 6/1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16 & 17 & 21, 22 & 23).
Court info from 8/10/20 thru 5/25/21 & Jury selection (6/1/21) & Trial Day 1-9 (6/2/21 & 6/18/21) reference post #181 here:
IN - Thomas Grill Jr., 18, & Molley Lanham, 19, murdered, Lake County, 25 Feb 2019 *arrests*
6/22/21 Tuesday, Day 10 of Trial: No info available. Trial continues on Monday, 6/23/21.
Accomplice:
*Connor Ralland Kerner (17/now 19) – Found guilty. 12/8/20: Sentenced to 179 years in prison. Filed an appeal on 5/13/21.

 

[FrostedGlass]

Nothing about the trial; these are the last 2 entries:

06/10/2021 = Order Issued
FILING CONFIDENTIAL JUROR QUESTIONAIRRE
Order Signed: 06/09/2021

06/11/2021 = Automated ENotice Issued to Parties
Order Issued ---- 6/10/2021 : John Cantrell;Mark K Gruenhagen;Gary Stephen Germann

 

[FrostedGlass]

DOC Number 277908
First Name CONNOR
Middle Name R
Last Name KERNER
Date of Birth 03/31/2001
Gender Male
Race White
Facility/Location Pendleton Correctional Facility
Earliest Possible Release Date 05/31/2153

 

[Niner]

Nothing about the trial; these are the last 2 entries:

06/10/2021 = Order Issued
FILING CONFIDENTIAL JUROR QUESTIONAIRRE
Order Signed: 06/09/2021

06/11/2021 = Automated ENotice Issued to Parties
Order Issued ---- 6/10/2021 : John Cantrell;Mark K Gruenhagen;Gary Stephen Germann

Today is supposed to be the last day of trial. I'll put a "hold" on it until you find something updated. Thanks for the info.

 

[FrostedGlass]

I just found Kerner's appeal = 20A-CR-02377
Indiana Supreme Court public access case search - MyCase

I've never read appeals and didn't realize they recap the trial. It answered my question about the robbery. The victims and Kerner met up twice. Grill had the THC cartridges and Kerner was supposed to have the weed. Kerner did not have the weed at that time so Grill came back again the next day and that's when the crime took place.

I wonder if 37 lbs of weed in exchange for $15,000 and 800-1,000 TCH cartridges is a fair trade?

 

[Niner]

snipped by me...
I wonder if 37 lbs of weed in exchange for $15,000 and 800-1,000 TCH cartridges is a fair trade?

Depending upon "where" the weed is from - I would think it probably is a fair trade, as TCH is more powerful then weed. JMO of course!

 

[Niner]

Ah! The jury started deliberations yesterday....

Jury deliberates in case of man accused in connection with two Lake County teens’ deaths

June 23, 2021

A Porter County jury is deciding the fate of a 20-year-old man accused in connection with the 2019 double slaying of two Lake County teens in rural Hebron.

Closing arguments wrapped up by the afternoon Wednesday and the jury began deliberations.

By 6 p.m. no verdict had been reached and it was not immediately known if the 4-week trial would spill into Thursday [6/24/21].
[.....]
During Silva’s trial, which started June 2, prosecutors introduced voluminous evidence claiming cellphone records tied Silva to the scene, two audio files from cellphones Silva provided and noted his DNA was found on a Kerner’s grandfather’s gun that wasn’t used in the murders.

Much of that evidence contradicted what he told police early on, they said. For example, Silva initially told detectives Kerner took him straight home from Valparaiso High School the day of the murders.

Prosecutors replayed the first audio clip Silva recorded with six shots and screams heard. Just before, Grill’s parents momentarily left the courtroom. The second recording was a conversation Silva recorded with himself and Kerner two days after the murders.
[.....]
Defense lawyers said Silva was a victim of circumstance.
[.....]
Porter County Sheriff Sgt. Detective Brian Dziedzinski’s testimony Tuesday that Silva was likely downstairs, sitting on a blue plastic chair holding a CZ9 pistol waiting to backup Kerner couldn’t be proven, defense lawyers argued.

 

[Niner]

Thursday, June 24th:
*Trial continues (Day 12)-VERDICT WATCH! (@ 9am CT) – IN - Thomas Grill, Jr. (18) & Molley R. Lanham (19) (Feb. 25, 2019, St. John; found in Hebron, in burned out car) – for *John Salvadore Silva II (17/now 18) arrested & charged (5/22/20) with 2 felony counts of murder in the perpetration of a robbery. Plead not guilty. No bond.
Trial began on 6/1/21 (9 days: 6/1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16 & 17 & 21, 22, 23 & 24).
Court info from 8/10/20 thru 5/25/21 & Jury selection (6/1/21) & Trial Day 1-9 (6/2/21 & 6/18/21) reference post #181 here:
IN - Thomas Grill Jr., 18, & Molley Lanham, 19, murdered, Lake County, 25 Feb 2019 *arrests*
6/22/21 Tuesday, Day 10 of Trial: State witness: Porter County Sheriff Sgt. Detective Brian Dziedzinski. No other info available. Trial continues on Monday, 6/23/21. 6/10/21: Order issued: filing confidential juror questionnaire.
6/23/21 Wednesday, Day 11 of Trial & Day 1 of Jury deliberations: Closing arguments wrapped up by the afternoon Wednesday & the jury began deliberations. By 6 p.m. no verdict had been reached & it was not immediately known if the 4-week trial would spill into Thursday, 6/24/21.
Accomplice:
*Connor Ralland Kerner (17/now 19) – Found guilty. 12/8/20: Sentenced to 179 years in prison. Filed an appeal on 5/13/21. Earliest Possible Release Date 05/31/2153.

 

[Niner]

Oh geez.....

Trial for Hamlet man, 20, ends in mistrial in 2019 deaths of Lake County teens

June 24, 2021

The nearly month long trial of a 20-year-old man charged in the 2019 murders of two Lake County teens ended in a mistrial Thursday in Valparaiso.

John S. Silva III was returned to the Porter County Jail to await a July 19 status hearing. Porter County Superior Court Judge Michael Fish denied Silva bail.

The nine women and four men on the jury deliberated until around 8 p.m. Wednesday before reconvening at 9 a.m. and continuing until around 4 p.m. before letting Fish know that there were items they couldn’t reconcile. Family members of Molley Lanham and Thomas Grill wept at the decision to declare a mistrial.
[.....]
Fish initially called the jurors into the courtroom to ask them what exactly was the gridlock. The presiding juror told the court that the jurors felt there were some evidence gaps that “didn’t provide an agreeable assessment of what happened.”

Fish then dismissed the jurors and asked the attorneys what they thought they could do to help them get through. Deputy Prosecutor Armando Salinas said he was at a loss and wasn’t clear on what they didn’t understand; defense co-counsel John Cantrell said he didn’t think they could give anything other than supplemental instruction.

When Fish called the jurors back in, the presiding juror said he and the jurors were at an impasse “on all counts.”

 

[FrostedGlass]

That's a shock!

They should have Elkhart County's judge and prosecutors where they find guilt based on:

"with accomplices in a crime, "the act of one is the act of all."

which I disagree with.

 

[FrostedGlass]

I checked Silva's case last night and wondered why the sudden flurry of jury instructions was finally posted.

06/24/2021 = Final Instructions Filed
File Stamp: 06/23/2021

06/24/2021 = Proposed Jury Instructions
DEFENDANT'S PROPOSED JURY INSTRUCTIONS
Filed By: SILVA, JOHN SALVADORE II
Filed By: Cantrell, John
Filed By: Gruenhagen, Mark K
File Stamp: 06/23/2021

06/24/2021 = Order Issued
SUPPLEMENTAL FINAL JURY INSTRUCTION. COURT ENTERS SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTION 1
Order Signed: 06/24/2021

06/24/2021 = Proposed Jury Instructions
STATE'S 2ND PROPOSED FINAL JURY INSTRUCTIONS
Filed By: State of Indiana
File Stamp: 06/23/2021

06/24/2021 = Proposed Jury Instructions
STATE'S PROPOSED FINAL JURY INSTRUCTIONS
Filed By: State of Indiana
File Stamp: 06/23/2021

 

[FrostedGlass]

There have been no updates on this case except for this ENotice. His July 19 status hearing hasn't even been entered yet.

06/25/2021 = Automated ENotice Issued to Parties
Order Issued ---- 6/24/2021 : John Cantrell;Mark K Gruenhagen;Gary Stephen Germann

 

[Niner]

Monday, July 19th:
*Status Hearing (@ am CT) – IN - Thomas Grill, Jr. (18) & Molley R. Lanham (19) (Feb. 25, 2019, St. John; found in Hebron, in burned out car) – for *John Salvadore Silva II (17/now 18) arrested & charged (5/22/20) with 2 felony counts of murder in the perpetration of a robbery. Plead not guilty. No bond.
Trial began on 6/1/21 & ended on 6/24/21 with a mistrial. Jury (9 women & 4 men) deliberated on 6/23/21 (~5 hours) & on 6/24/21 (~7 hours). Total deliberations about 12 hours.
Court info from 8/10/20 thru 5/25/21 & Jury selection (6/1/21) & Trial Day 1-11 (6/2/21 & 6/24/21) & Jury deliberations Day 1-2 (6/23/21 & 6/24/21) reference post #190 here:
MISTRIAL - IN - Thomas Grill Jr., 18, & Molley Lanham, 19, murdered, Lake County, 25 Feb 2019 *arrests*
6/24/21 Thursday, Day 12 of Trial & Day 2 of Jury Deliberations: The 9 women & 4 men on the jury deliberated until around 8pm Wednesday, 6/23 before reconvening at 9am & continuing until around 4pm before letting Judge Fish know that there were items they couldn’t reconcile. Family members of Molley Lanham & Thomas Grill wept at the decision to declare a mistrial. Silva was returned to the Porter County Jail to await a July 19 status hearing. Porter County Superior Court Judge Michael Fish denied Silva bail.
Accomplice:
*Connor Ralland Kerner (17/now 19) – Found guilty. 12/8/20: Sentenced to 179 years in prison. Filed an appeal on 5/13/21. Earliest Possible Release Date 05/31/2153.

 

[FrostedGlass]

He's still on for a status conference today at 11 am central time, which is noon my time.

 

[FrostedGlass]

None of Lake Co courts are streaming today. Our case out of Grant isn't being streamed, either.

 

[Niner]

Any news on yesterday's status hearing @FrostedGlass ? TIA!

 

[FrostedGlass]

There is no update yet. I checked the news last night but didn't find anything. I'll check again in a little while.

 

[FrostedGlass]

07/21/2021 = Order of Continuance by Court
08/09/2021 = Status Conference
Session: 08/09/2021 11:00 AM, Judicial Officer: Fish, Michael A.

 

[Niner]

Thanks for the update!