Press Release

February 18, 2010

-Princeton-

Barbara L. Earle, age 58, Somerville, was sentenced by Gibson Superior Court Judge Earl Penrod to 55 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections following her conviction at trial last month for killing her husband, Wallace William Earle Sr.

Numerous witnesses testified on behalf of the State at the sentencing hearing, including two of Barbara Earle’s step-children, an Indiana State Police Detective, and a cameraman for WEHT-TV Channel 25.  Step-daughter Judy Johnson read a statement to the court telling of how her family had lost a father, brother, and grandfather.  An emotional Johnson also spoke about how she considered Barbara Earle her real mother and that Barbara’s actions caused her to lose not only a father, but a mother as well.

IN State Police Det. Loren Brooks, who was the lead investigator in the case, testified to Ms. Earle’s capacity for violence.  The night of the murder, while interviewing Ms. Earle, Brooks testified that Earle became very agitated, smashed her daughter-in-law’s cell phone, used a great amount of profanity, and even kicked a small dog in anger.  Brooks stated that a few days later, while he was serving Ms. Earle a subpoena to seize a cell phone, she threatened to kill someone and directed the threat at him.

The State then called a local TV cameraman to testify to Ms. Earle’s violent nature.  News 25 cameraman Aaron Hancock testified that while investigating complaints made against the Earle’s Parkview Home Sales business in 2003, Barbara Earle became so enraged that she drove her vehicle at a high rate of speed directly at Hancock and a News 25 reporter and that he feared that they would be run over.

Also testifying for the State was another of Barbara Earle’s step-children, Jonathan Earle, who spoke about how he can no longer even go to his father and step-mother’s residence because of the emotional toll it causes and how the family is in turmoil because the loss of their father and the conviction of their step-mother.

The defense presented no witness but both the State and defense presented arguments in attempting to persuade the court in its sentencing decision.  Gibson County Prosecutor Robert Krieg asked for an aggravated sentence beyond the advisory sentence of 55 years as he argued that Barbara Earle’s acts were cold and calculated.  Krieg said that she had planned the murder so well that she may very well have gotten away with it had she not confessed to family members.  Krieg also reminded the court the evidence showed that Earle not only shot her husband, but did so in the back and continued shooting him till she had unloaded the gun. Defense Attorney Mike Cochren argued that Barbara Earle’s age and health problems should be taken into account, and noted that his client had no prior criminal history.

Judge Penrod recognized that the State and the Defense presented legitimate aggravating and mitigating factors respectively before sentencing Earle to the advisory sentence of 55 years.  The judge conceded that the reality for Ms. Earle is that the sentence handed down may in fact be a life sentence due to her age and her health issues.  Ms. Earle indicated to the court that she plans to appeal her conviction and the judge appointed Mr. Cochren and trial co-counsel Lisa Moody to represent her in the appeal process.

EARLE RECEIVES 55 YEARS FOR MURDERING HUSBAND