UPDATE: Randal Crosley And Jordan Buskirk Both Sentenced To 81 Years For The Murder of Katelyn Wolfe

Two Indiana men were taken into custody today on suspicion of murder just hours after authorities said they located a female body believed to be missing teen Katelyn Wolfe.
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Updated: Tuesday, 11 Jun 2013, 12:42 PM EDT
Published : Tuesday, 11 Jun 2013, 4:49 AM EDT

LINTON, Ind. (WISH) - Police in western Indiana believe they found the body of missing 19-year-old Katelyn Wolfe who went missing last Thursday.

Indiana Conservation officers found the body in rural Green County around 5 p.m. Monday.

Now two men are in the Greene County Jail, preliminarily charged with her murder.

The two in custody are Jordan W. Buskirk, 26, and Randal E. Crosley, 25, both of Jasonville, Ind.

Buskirk was arrested around 11 p.m. Monday. Crosley was already in the Greene County Jail, held on drug charges on a warrant out of Putnam County.

According to her family, Katelyn was last seen leaving her Linton home around 3 a.m. last Thursday. No one knows why she left in the middle of the night.

Friends and family organized a search for her Monday.

"It's amazing the amount of people that have turned out to help us, the phone calls we've gotten, the messages on Facebook," Stepmother Laura Wolfe said.

Her father said it was unlike Katelyn to be away from home with no contact.

"It's completely out of the ordinary for her to do this to me," Eric Wolfe said. "She always stays in touch with me, never goes hardly any time without staying in touch."

24-Hour News 8 looked into the criminal background of both men charged.

Buskirk was arrested in 2011 for neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury and criminal recklessness resulting in serious bodily injury.

Crosley was arrested in 2007 for theft and earlier in 2013 for driving on a suspended license.

An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday in Terre Haute.
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There is just no END in sight to this!! SOOO SAD!!

INDIANAPOLIS — A southwestern Indiana police chief said late Tuesday that a 19-year-old woman whose body was found a few days after she vanished apparently died from asphyxiation.

Linton Police Chief Troy Jerrell said family members identified the body found Monday as that of Katelyn Wolfe, who went missing after apparently posting on Facebook that she was being followed.

Indiana conservation officers recovered Wolfe's body from a body of water in rural Sullivan County, Jerrell said.

Two men were being held in connection with her death.

Jordan W. Buskirk, 26, and Randal E. Crosley, 25, were arrested Monday night on preliminary charges of murder. Both Jasonville men were being held at the Greene County Jail in Bloomfield, about 30 miles southeast of Terre Haute. Buskirk and Crosley have not yet been formally charged, and the local prosecutor's office declined comment.

Wolfe's father reported her missing last Thursday night, about 20 hours after she was last seen walking near a Dairy Queen in Linton.

Jerrell said he could not discuss details of the unfolding investigation or comment on why police had focused on the two men.

"This is still extremely early in this investigation and so there's still a lot of work left to be done," he said.

Linton police Lt. Duane Collenbaugh said Indiana State Police were helping the local police agency Tuesday secure evidence while investigators were working with prosecutors on probable cause affidavits.

Crosley was arrested Friday on a warrant out of Putnam County and Buskirk was arrested Monday. Crosley's warrant was for misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia, said Lt. Dave Brown of the Putnam County Jail.

Jerrell said that as part of their investigation police have looked into a Facebook posting Wolfe apparently made early Thursday in which she expressed concern that she was being followed. He declined to elaborate.

Collenbaugh declined to comment on whether police believe Buskirk or Crosley knew Wolfe, but both men appeared to be listed as Facebook friends of Wolfe's.

Linton Mayor John Wilkes said Tuesday that the killing has shaken the community of about 5,300 residents.

"Everyone's upset. We all know her grandparents. I went to high school with her grandfather and played football with him. We all know each other — it's just a hard situation," Wilkes said.
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An undated photo provided by the Greene County Jail shows Jordan Wayne Buskirk of Jasonville, Ind. Buskirk, 26, and Randal Edward Crosley, 25, of Jansonville, are being held as persons of interest in the disappearance of 19-year-old Katelyn Wolfe. Linton Police Chief Troy Jerrell said a body found Monday, June 10 in a rural area is believed to be that of Wolfe.

An undated photo provided by the Greene County Jail shows Randal Edward Crosley of Jasonville, Ind. Crosley, 25, and Jordan Wayne Buskirk, 26, of Jansonville, are being held as persons of interest in the disappearance of 19-year-old Katelyn Wolfe. Linton Police Chief Troy Jerrell said a body found Monday, June 10 in a rural area is believed to be that of Wolfe.

Jun 14, 2013

Not Guilty; that's the plea Greene County, Ind. court officials entered for two men accused of murder.
Jordan Buskirk, 26, of Jasonville and Randal Crosley, 25, of Linton are charged with the death of 19-year-old Katelyn Wolfe.
Both appeared stoic in court as the judge read them their charges. At this time, no one will comment on the death penalty or life without parole in regards to this case.
"It's important we get every case right, whether it's a misdemeanor or a murder, and we always work toward that goal," said Jarrod Holtsclaw, Greene County Prosecutor.
Court administrators entered not guilty pleas for both men but it's just beginning for these three families.
All had a different take on the day's proceedings.
Three families' lives changed forever
Buskirk's father appeared shaken after learning about his son's case.
"I'm devastated," Gilbert Buskirk said. "Anybody who knows Jordan knows he couldn't do this."
Crosley's family also appeared upset with the news.

"No comment and they have to prove it," a Crosley family member stated. "I think he was threatened."
Crosley and Buskirk arrived at the Greene County Courthouse for their initial hearing Friday morning.
Crosley rode in with his hands covering his face while Buskirk arrived in a vehicle with tinted windows.
"I'm so sorry. I am. I wish I could have stopped it. I wish I could've. I swear to God, if I would've known, I would've stopped it,” Gilbert Buskirk said. “I am so sorry for their loss."
As for Wolfe’s family -- perhaps the news was just too tough to handle. They did not appear in court to hear charges filed.
Social media outcry

A probable cause affidavit released to News 10 on Thursday detailed how Wolfe's murder occurred.
According to the document, a rope was used to strangle Wolfe in a rural area of Greene County after a night of smoking synthetic marijuana.
"Jordan Buskirk explained he [Jordan Buskirk] then took a rope, wrapped it around her neck, and choked her until after she stopped struggling," the document stated.
But a big question for many people Friday has been: if Jordan Buskirk admitted to police he killed Katelyn Wolfe, why was a ‘not guilty’ plea entered on his behalf?
It's a question several people posted on our News 10 Facebook page. Legal experts say this gives lawyers and their clients time to discuss the case.
In 20 days the suspects can enter a new plea.
Both men are charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit rape, and criminal confinement.

The pre-trial is scheduled for Aug. 5.

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August 06, 2013

Two men accused of killing a Linton woman were in court Monday for a pre-trial conference.

Jordan Buskirk and Randal Crosley have admitted to killing Katelyn Wolfe back in June.

They have each been charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit rape, and criminal confinement. Juries for each will be selected from other Indiana counties due to pre trial publicity.

Buskirk is set to go to trial on February 3rd.

Crosley has a trial date set for March 3rd.

Both men are being held at the GreeneCounty jail without bond.

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January 11, 2014

Tamera D. Crosley, wife of accused murderer Randal Crosley, was taken into custody Friday evening after warrants were issued for her arrest late Friday afternoon in two separate cases.

Crosley is accused of not telling the truth and attempting to mislead officers investigating the death of Katelyn Wolfe last June.

In another case, Crosley is accused of an attempted plot to steal items and return them to get cash to put in Randal Crosley's account at the jail. The plot unraveled when an off-duty officer witnessed the theft and offered to pay for the items being stolen, allegedly for a baby.

Crosley was arrested in the Worthington area by Linton Police Det. Sgt. Josh Goodman around 8:30 p.m. Friday. Goodman was assisted in the arrest by Linton Police Reserve Officer Jason Wilson.

In the first case, the preliminary charges filed against Crosley include obstruction of justice, a class D felony, and two counts of false informing, both class B misdemeanors.

In the second case, the preliminary charge filed against Crosley is conspiracy to commit theft, a class D felony.

Both cases were filed late Friday afternoon in Greene Superior Court. The charges in both were approved by the court and Superior Court Judge Dena Martin issued two warrants for Crosley's arrest.

Crosley's husband, Randal E. Crosley, 25, of Jasonville, was one of two men charged with the murder of Katelyn Wolfe in June 2013. His case is set to go to trial by jury in May.

The other man charged with Wolfe's murder, Jordan Buskirk, 26, also from Jasonville, has admitted guilt, signed a negotiated plea agreement and agreed to testify truthfully against Randal Crosley during Randal Crosley's trial. Buskirk will be sentenced sometime after the trial.

Katelyn Wolfe was reported missing late in the evening on Thursday, June 6.

During the early morning hours of Friday, June 7, officers went to the home of Randal and Tamera Crosley, then LPD Officer Paul Clark and Det. Sgt. Josh Goodman conducted a interview with Randal Crosley at the Linton Police Department. According to new information released when charges were filed against Tamera Crosley, Randal Crosley admitted during the interview that he had recently sold six Valium (diazepam) pills to Wolfe and that he had additional pills that he had planned to sell to her later. He said the additional pills were at his residence.

On the same day, Det. Sgt. Goodman also conducted an interview with Tamera Crosley at the Linton Police Department. During this interview, she allegedly admitted that while officers were at her residence earlier that morning, she had flushed the pills, and she threw the plastic bag they were in into the trash. She said she disposed of the pills because she had a child and didn't want to get in trouble, and she said she did not know that her husband was involved in drugs.

In a probable cause affidavit, Det. Sgt. Goodman states, "As part of the ongoing investigation, officers learned from information obtained from phone records, phone data and interviews, that Tamera was previously aware of, and involved in, illegal drug activity."

On June 10, Wolfe's body was located and Randal Crosley was a primary suspect. Tamera Crosley was interviewed again later that evening at the Jasonville Police Department by JPD Officer Ryan Van Horn and ISP Detective Paul Suding. At the time this interview was conducted, the details regarding the condition of Wolfe's body had not been disclosed to anyone outside law enforcement, including the fact that Wolfe's hands were handcuffed behind her back.

During Tamera Crosley's interview, she was asked if there was anything unique about her sexual relationship with Randal Crosley and she advised it was normal and that they did not get into "freaky things." She allegedly said they had never used bondage, handcuffs or toys.

Later that week, more details about the case were released in probable cause affidavits filed in Buskirk and Crosley's cases, including details about Wolfe's body and the fact that Buskirk and Crosley had purchased handcuffs and other items at a Terre Haute store.

Then when Tamera Crosley was interviewed again after this information had become known, on June 24, Tamera Crosley allegedly said the items that the two men purchased were things she wanted, advising that she was into weird things and that she'd been begging her husband for a week (before Wolfe's murder) that she wanted to go get those items. According to the affidavit, Tamera Crosley went into details and talked about the handcuffs.

Crosley was asked if she would be willing to take a polygraph examination and she refused. Several weeks later, she was asked again and she agreed, an appointment was made but she failed to follow through with the exam.

Goodman alleges in the probable cause that Crosley gave completely different statements in the interviews on June 10 (before details were released) and June 24 (after details were released).

Goodman stated, "I believe the statement given to law enforcement on June 24 was a dishonest statement intended to mislead law enforcement and to attempt to cover for husband Randal Crosley's involvement in the murder of Katelyn Wolfe." He added that he believed she made an attempt to provide an explanation for Crosley as to why he and Buskirk purchased the handcuffs and other items prior to Wolfe's murder.

In the second case filed against Tamera Crosley for alleged conspiracy to commit theft, Crosley is accused of being involved in an attempted theft of items from the Wal-Mart store in Linton.

Goodman was called to the store on Dec. 7 because another officer was requesting assistance.

When Goodman arrived at the front service desk, Greene County Sheriff's Detective James O'Malley was waiting with suspects.

O'Malley said he was in the store off-duty on personal business when he saw someone, a 14-year-old juvenile, concealing items on their person so he approached and identified himself as a law enforcement officer.

O'Malley said the suspect told him he was taking the items for a sibling's baby and he told the officer about their financial situation.

Det. O'Malley decided to take the young suspect to a checkout where the officer paid for the items the suspect was attempting to steal, and he also gave the suspect $20 in cash. He did, however, keep the receipt for the items he just purchased to prevent anyone from attempting to return them for cash.

The suspect left the store. A short time later, O'Malley went to the service desk and saw a male subject attempting to return the items O'Malley had just purchased. The man did not have a receipt. Upon questioning, the man said another person had asked him to return the items for cash. O'Malley then found the 14-year-old suspect sitting in a car in the parking lot with their sibling who turned out to be Tamera D. Crosley.

When the man was questioned further, he advised Tamera Crosley had asked him to go with her to Wal-Mart to return some items. He said the plan was to return the items for cash then go to the Greene County Jail to put the money on Randal Crosley's account.

Tamera Crosley drove the 14-year-old suspect and the man to Wal-Mart then while Crosley and the man waited in the car, she sent the 14-year-old in with Crosley's food stamp card to buy some drinks. The man said he did not know the 14-year-old went in to steal baby items.

When the 14-year-old was interviewed, he allegedly said Crosley had asked him to go to the store with her to steal baby items. He said they picked the man up on the way and did not discuss their plan with him. The suspect said O'Malley caught him before he made it out. He also said he thought Crosley needed the baby items for her child and did not know she planned on returning the items in order to get cash to put on Randal Crosley's books at the jail.

Det. Sgt. Goodman wrote in the probable cause affidavit that he believed Crosley had an agreement with the 14-year-old to commit theft and if Det. O'Malley had not intervened, the two would have completed their plan to steal the baby items.

The warrants issued for Tamera Crosley's arrest specified that her bond in both cases will be set according to the standard bond schedule.

Following her arrest, Crosley was transported to the Greene County Jail where she was interviewed by Goodman prior to being booked in.

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February 15, 2014

Judgments of conviction were officially entered into court records February 5th for two Greene County men who pleaded guilty to the murder of Katelyn Wolfe in June of last year. 26-year-old Jordan Buskirk and 25-year-old Randal Crosley, both of Jasonville, are scheduled to be sentenced in March, Crosley on the 4th and Buskirk on the 18th. They had previously changed their pleas to guilty in the case.
Both men are facing between of 45 and 85 years in prison.

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March 4, 2014

Katelyn Wolfe’s father wanted to make sure Randal Crosley got a glimpse of the happy times his daughter shared with family and friends before Crosley and a friend abducted and killed the 19-year-old Linton woman last summer.

So he brought a DVD to Greene Superior Court Tuesday, a 15-minute photo montage of Katelyn Wolfe, and played it during the sentencing hearing that ended with Crosley being sentenced to an 81-year prison term.

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Thanks so much for updating this, Nite.

March 18, 2014

Handing down a sentence of 81 years in prison to Jordan Buskirk for the murder of Katelyn Wolfe last June, Greene Superior Court Judge Dena Martin told Buskirk, "Our community is not safe with someone like you in it."

During Buskirk's sentencing hearing on Tuesday morning, Martin said the court starts at the advisory sentence then considers aggravating and mitigating factors to add or subtract years to arrive at the pronounced sentence.

In this case, Martin said the aggravating factors of this heinous crime far, far outweighed the mitigating factors.

Buskirk's court-appointed attorney, Greene County Deputy Public Defender Jacob Fish, had told the court Buskirk deserved some consideration for his cooperation which helped investigators find evidence.

"One chose not to cooperate, one chose to cooperate," said Fish speaking of the difference between Buskirk and Randal Crosley, the other man convicted of Wolfe's murder. "He (Buskirk) admitted he did what he did, and he cooperated."

Fish said Buskirk had a young child, had no prior criminal history, admitted guilt, and saved the county and everyone involved in the case from two trials -- one for Buskirk and one for Crosley. Fish also said this was not an easy case, not for the state, not for himself, not for the families.

When Buskirk was asked if he wanted to make a statement prior to sentencing, he said, "I'm really, really sorry for what I did. I was not in my right mind."

Buskirk said he was sorry for what he had destroyed, sorry for his parents and for the Wolfe family, and he apologized to Det. Sgt. Josh Goodman of the Linton Police Department for lying to him during the initial stages of the investigation.

At another point in the hearing, Buskirk addressed the victim's father, Eric Wolfe, and while crying and sobbing, said he was so sorry.

"I deserve to be punished. Not only have I destroyed your family but mine too. I can't bring her back. I'm sorry. I'm sorry," said Buskirk.

Family and friends of Buskirk sat behind him in the courtroom, and his mother and father testified that Buskirk had played sports in school, had lots of friends, had been coming to their house for supper every night, that they did not know about any drug use, they did not notice a change in him, and they did not expect anything like this to happen.

Buskirk's mother told the Wolfe family that if she had known anything, she would have tried to stop it (the murder). She said the Wolfe family was in the Buskirk family's hearts and prayers and she said, "May God be with you all."

Buskirk's father told the Wolfe family he was so sorry for their loss and he told his son, "I hope they don't send you away forever." Both parents broke down and the court took a short recess after their testimony.

Greene County Prosecutor Jarrod Holtsclaw told the court that sentencing was left to the judge's discretion and he could not make a recommendation, but going back to June 10 of 2013 when he spoke to Buskirk, Buskirk had asked for leniency if he cooperated. Holtsclaw said he made a promise that if Buskirk was cooperative, he would take that into consideration.

"I'm a man of my word," said Holtsclaw as he told the court that once Buskirk started cooperating, he was 100 percent cooperative and investigators were able to obtain most of the evidence as a result.

But the judge told Buskirk she acknowledged the fact that he had cooperated with investigators, "after you failed a polygraph."

Martin said he did not cooperate until after the body had been found, and after police had videos showing him buying items for the murder at both Cirilla's and Gander Mountain.

Regarding the fact that Buskirk has a young child, Martin said Buskirk knew he had a child when he did this.

Regarding the fact that Buskirk had no criminal history, Martin said, "When you started out, you started out big."

Although Buskirk shed a lot of tears during his sentencing hearing, Martin noted he was not remorseful during his testimony in an earlier hearing.

When Buskirk took the stand during Crosley's sentencing hearing early in March, he recounted the actions taken by Buskirk and Crosley both before, during and after the murder.

"I didn't see the first tear," said Martin of his earlier testimony.

"I see it all the time. You say you are remorseful, but you have your mom and dad sitting right behind you," she said, talking about how Buskirk seeing his parents cry during the hearing should affect him.

Then she said, "Mr. Wolfe is never going to get to see his daughter cry again."

Martin also talked about how Buskirk and Crosley had gone shopping for items to use in the murder -- the way other people go shopping for items they'll need before they go on a vacation.

"And then, you picked up a little petite girl," said Martin. "You placed the rope around her throat, and your foot was on her back, and you pulled that rope and took her life."

Martin said Buskirk will be fined $100 for each of four counts, plus court costs and fees, and she told him although Count 1, 2, and 4 will be served concurrently, Count 3 will be served consecutively to the other counts.

Buskirk was given 63 years for the murder which carried a possible sentence range of 45-65 years. Count 2 for conspiracy to commit murder, a class A felony, and Count 4, criminal confinement, a class C felony, will be served at the same time as the murder sentence.

After that's served, Buskirk will serve 18 years for Count 3, conspiracy to commit rape, a class B felony which carried a possible sentence range of six -20 years.

Buskirk will be given credit for time already served in the Greene County Jail.

Despite his cooperation, Buskirk ended up with the same sentence, 81 years, as Randal Crosley.

Following the hearing, Prosecutor Holtsclaw said he did have some sense of relief that both of the defendants had been held accountable for their actions, but he said there was no joy or happiness to be found in the conclusion of these cases. He said the family wanted Katelyn Wolfe to be brought back and nobody could do that.

Holtsclaw said this case deeply affected everyone involved including him.

"I've thought about this case every single day since it happened," said Holtsclaw.

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