Fred Bandy Jr., a man from Indiana, has been given a life sentence for the murder of a 17-year-old girl named Laurel Jean Mitchell back in 1975. The young girl was found dead in a river after she didn’t come home from work at a church camp. Bandy, along with another man named John Wayne Lehman, was charged in connection to Mitchell’s death, with Lehman receiving an eight-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit murder.
Even though Mitchell’s cause of death was determined to be drowning, the autopsy report indicated that she had struggled for her life, leading authorities to open a murder investigation. Bandy was convicted of first-degree murder this month, nearly 50 years after the crime took place. Lehman claimed that Bandy was responsible for raping and drowning Mitchell, stating that he was too afraid of Bandy to intervene. Evidence collected in 1975, including Mitchell’s clothing, was retested for DNA, and Bandy’s DNA was found to be a match.
The case highlights the potential of using genealogy sites to solve cold cases, as advancements in DNA testing and evidence collection have enabled authorities to link suspects to crimes that took place decades ago. In this instance, it was the incriminating comments made by individuals who were teenagers at the time of the murder that helped tie Bandy and Lehman to the crime.
The sentencing of Bandy by 1975 standards, due to the lack of a death penalty option at the time, underscores the challenges in pursuing justice for crimes committed many years ago. The hope is that as technology and investigative techniques continue to evolve, more cold cases like Mitchell’s will be solved, bringing closure to victims’ families and holding perpetrators accountable for their actions.
