'I'll send a bag with body parts to your family': Man repeatedly shot roommate in the face and then locked the victim's body in his own bedroom for several days

An Indiana antheral volition beryllium spending respective decades down bars aft repeatedly shooting and killing different antheral and past trying to haphazardly fell the victim's assemblage successful his ain bedroom.

In March, James Grossnickle, 54, was convicted by a assemblage of his peers successful Marion County connected 1 number of murder implicit the September 2024 shooting decease of 40-year-old Craig Esmon Jacobs. Later, the suspect was besides convicted connected 1 number of unlawful possession of a firearm by a superior convulsive felon.

This week, Marion County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Marchal sentenced Grossnickle to 62 years successful situation for those convictions.

"Last month, the assemblage recovered the information the suspect attempted to hide, and contiguous the tribunal reinforced that information with a condemnation that reflects the value of his crimes," Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said successful a connection announcing the sentencing. "I americium arrogant of our proceedings squad for ensuring this suspect volition walk the remainder of his beingness successful situation for the lives helium impacted."

The underlying incidental occurred successful aboriginal September 2024, astatine the defendant's ain residence connected South Gray Street successful Indianapolis.

On Sept. 4, 2024, officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department were called to the location aft friends recovered the unfortunate suffering from aggregate gunshot wounds successful a locked bedroom.

Authorities said the unfortunate had been repeatedly changeable successful the look and appeared to person been dormant "for immoderate time," according to tribunal documents obtained by Indianapolis-based NBC affiliate WTHR.

As it turned out, Jacobs had been missing for respective days, investigators learned from witnesses astatine the country of the crime. Concerns for the slain man's well-being came to the fore aft Grossnickle was overheard making "several" remarks astir shooting Jacobs, authorities said. The victim's friends yet broke down the victim's chamber door, recovered his body, and called police.

The witnesses offered incriminating interactions to instrumentality enforcement, according to tribunal documents obtained by section Fox affiliate WXIN.

One witnesser said they came to residence 2 days anterior and asked astir Jacobs but was advised against visiting by the victim's roommate.

"[Grossnickle] advised [the witness] not to spell backmost determination due to the fact that [Jacobs] was b– and was successful a atrocious mood," 1 papers reads. "[Grossnickle] said helium got into an statement with [Jacobs], and past [Grossnickle] started rumbling and made statements to the grade of 'Em a brainsick motherf–, I'll sprout you successful the caput and I'll nonstop a container with assemblage parts to your family.'"

Later that aforesaid day, constabulary arrested Grossnickle connected East Edgewood Avenue aft receiving reports astir an equipped idiosyncratic believed to beryllium liable for the shooting connected Gray Street.

The execution weapon, however, was really recovered wrong the defendant's conveyance aft helium was taken into custody.

During a custodial interview, Grossnickle told constabulary that, days anterior to his arrest, helium changeable Jacobs "multiple times" successful the caput earlier his weapon jammed. The since-condemned antheral besides admittedly locked the doorway and past secured the fastener with a screw aft the violence.

After a three-day trial, the suspect was convicted.

"The suspect attempted to fell his crimes and enactment arsenic if thing had changed, but helium could not flight the truth," Mears said successful a press release astatine the clip of Grossnickle's conviction.