Attorneys seek new trial for 1989 'Prom Night Murders'

A man convicted of murdering all but two other members of his family is getting closer to learning whether his request for a new trial will be granted.

Robert “Jeff” Pelley has been in the Indiana State Prison since October 2006 after being convicted on four counts of murder for slaying four family members at their Lakeville, Ind., home in April 1989.

Pelley was sentenced to 160 years.

The case became known as the “Prom Night Murders” because they were committed on prom night in what investigators say was a violent reaction following an argument between Pelley and his father over whether the then-17-year-old could attend an after-prom trip to an amusement park north of Chicago.

Lawyers representing Pelley, now 51, were in St. Joseph County Superior Court on Wednesday continuing their efforts to convince a judge that Pelley deserves a retrial because his previous lawyers failed to investigate leads that could have exonerated him or raise concerns about conflicting evidence.

St. Joseph County Superior Court Judge Stephanie Steele has been considering whether to grant a new trial since the last proceedings in the case in March 2022.

Steele said Wednesday that the four March 2022 hearings produced a “swimming pool of information” that needed clarification.

Her questions were focused on information submitted by both Pelley’s new defense team and prosecutors.

“I realize that when I ask you to cite (caselaw) more specifically, we’re talking about a case that spans 34 years,” Steele said.

“We can do our best, but there’s just so much to dig into,” said Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Mark Kopinski. “I just want to make sure I don’t do this wrong.”

Most of Steele’s questions centered around a pair of jeans prosecutors presented during the 2006 trial. At the time, prosecutors said Pelley wore the jeans during the murders and then threw them in the wash afterward.

But Pelley’s current attorney said there’s conflicting information about the jeans and their condition.

“What came out of the washer and whether the way it was presented was prejudicial,” said Francis Watson, Pelley’s defense attorney.

During the March 2022 hearing questions were raised as to how investigators handled the jeans as evidence. Tests for blood in the washer where the jeans were reportedly laundered were positive, but unverified, and police failed to properly document where the jeans were found, Pelley’s attorneys said.

Murdered in 1989 were Pelley’s father, the Rev. Bob Pelley; Dawn Pelly (stepmother), Janel, 8, and Jolene Pelly, 6 (stepsisters). Surviving were Jessie, 9, Pelley’s stepsister who was at a sleepover that night, and Jacque, 14, Pelley’s biological sister who was visiting a friend, according to other media outlets.

Investigators determined the murder weapon was a shotgun.

Investigators had little to go on at the time and didn’t charge Pelley until 2002. A jury deliberated two-and-a-half days before reaching a guilty verdict following the 2006 trial.

Steele on Wednesday instructed both sides to submit their responses to her questions by Aug. 18.

Steele said she doesn’t imagine it will take her very long to issue a decision after receiving those responses.

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