Prom Night Murders // 504

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Prom Night Murders // 504"

Title: Prom Night Murders
Podcast: Going West: True Crime
Hosts: Daphne Woolsoncroft and Heath Merryman
Release Date: May 20, 2025
Episode: 504

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Introduction

In Episode 504 of Going West: True Crime, hosts Daphne Woolsoncroft and Heath Merryman delve into the chilling and controversial case known as the "Prom Night Murders." This episode meticulously explores the disappearance and subsequent murder of the Pelly family in Indiana, unraveling the complexities that led to the suspicion and eventual conviction of Jeff Pelly, the family's stepbrother.

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Background of the Pelly Family

Reverend Robert "Bob" Pelly, born on March 23, 1951, in Kentucky and raised in Ohio, was a charismatic yet strict individual with a passion for hunting and firearms. Bob aspired to become a pastor, eventually enrolling at Mount Vernon Nazarene University in Ohio, where he met and married Ava Joyce Armstrong ("Joy") in 1970. Their union produced two children: Robert Jeffrey "Jeff" Pelly and Jacqueline "Jackie" Pelly.

In the late 1970s, the Pelly family relocated to Florida for Bob's career in technology and banking. Tragedy struck in 1985 when Joy was diagnosed with and succumbed to breast cancer, leaving Jeff (13) and Jackie (10) as orphans. Six months later, Bob married Don Huber, a fellow widow raising three daughters: Jessica (Jesse), Janelle, and Jolene.

Heath Merryman [05:30]: "Yeah, we're gonna talk a lot about Jeff."

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Relocation to Indiana and Family Dynamics

Amidst rumors of financial misconduct, Bob left his banking job in Florida under mysterious circumstances, relocating the blended family to the small town of Lakeville, Indiana. Here, Bob assumed the role of pastor, living in the church parsonage with a modest salary. While the community embraced them, underlying tensions simmered within the household.

Jeff exhibited volatile behavior, including minor burglaries and aggression, leading Bob to enforce strict disciplinary measures. Conversely, Don struggled to adapt, fostering a fragile family environment.

Daphne Woolsoncroft [12:06]: "Yeah, that's very true."

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The Night of the Murders

On Saturday, April 29, 1989, the Pelly family was unceremoniously murdered in their Lakeville home. The timeline is as follows:

1. Evening Preparations: Jeff, eager to attend prom, convinced Bob to allow broader participation in prom-related activities. Suspiciously, Jeff claimed Bob had changed his stance, permission Jeff may not have genuinely received.

2. Last Visitors: The last known visitor, Kim Oldenburg, left the Pelly residence at 4:45 PM. Later, Stephanie, Jesse's friend, found the house locked around 9:20 AM the following day, prompting church officials to investigate.

3. Discovery of the Crime Scene: Detectives found Bob fatally shot in the hallway and Don with their two youngest daughters, Janelle and Jolene, also deceased in the basement. The scene was gruesome, with no signs of forced entry or theft.

Heath Merryman [21:09]: "I mean, that really just paints such a devastating image."

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Investigation and Suspect: Jeff Pelly

Jeff Pelly emerged as the primary suspect due to multiple factors:

• Motive: Strained relationship with Bob, recent disciplinary actions, and Jeff's rebellious behavior.
• Opportunity: Jeff was the only family member unaccounted for initially, later found at Six Flags Great America.
• Behavior: Inconsistent statements and suspicious actions post-crime.

Despite lacking physical evidence such as the murder weapon or shell casings, circumstantial evidence pointed towards Jeff. His timeline was murky, and inconsistencies in his alibi raised further suspicions.

Daphne Woolsoncroft [37:00]: "So this does make sense either way."

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Trial and Conviction

In 2002, after years of speculation and initial investigation, Jeff Pelly was arrested and charged with the murders. The prosecution's case was primarily circumstantial:

• Conflicting Alibi: Jeff claimed to have a good day with his father, but his later actions suggested otherwise.
• Behavioral Cues: Jeff's demeanor during the funeral and lack of remorse fueled suspicions.
• Testimonies: While his sister Jackie testified to his kind nature, other testimonies highlighted his contentious relationship with Bob.

In 2006, Jeff was convicted and sentenced to 160 years in prison. The conviction was briefly overturned but ultimately upheld by the Indiana Supreme Court in 2009.

Heath Merryman [53:02]: "Or your dad is going to have some rules, and he's going to punish you if you steal from people."

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Doubts and Appeals

Years following the conviction, doubts about Jeff's guilt persisted:

• Lack of Physical Evidence: No murder weapon was ever found, and there were no clear indications of forced entry.
• Alternative Theories: Bob's rumored financial misconduct and possible threats suggested external motives.
• Sister's Testimony: Jackie maintained Jeff's innocence, attributing the murders to possible external threats related to Bob's illicit activities.
• Legal Challenges: Jeff's defense team highlighted inconsistencies in the prosecution's case, particularly the absence of wet clothes evidence.

In 2019, Jesse Pelly released a book detailing her grief, while Jackie continued to advocate for Jeff's innocence, creating platforms to raise awareness and support for his case.

Daphne Woolsoncroft [58:39]: "We will see you back here on Friday."

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Current Status and Conclusion

As of the episode's release, Jeff Pelly remains incarcerated, with appeals for his innocence ongoing. The case remains a topic of debate among true crime enthusiasts and legal experts, primarily due to the circumstantial nature of the evidence and the lingering questions about alternative motives and suspects.

Hosts Daphne and Heath express their skepticism regarding Jeff's guilt, highlighting the absence of concrete evidence and advocating for continued examination of the case.

Daphne Woolsoncroft [59:47]: "Well, again, in the eyes of the law, he did do it."

Heath Merryman [59:44]: "But without any physical evidence, without the weapon, without any witness sightings of somebody saying that they saw him dispose of the weapon or that his DNA was on this. But I will say the fact that the police found blood in the bathtub and in the bathroom and that we know that Jeff's timeline is really murky. It does really seem like he did it, but it's a tough one."

---

Final Thoughts

The "Prom Night Murders" episode of Going West: True Crime presents a compelling narrative fraught with tragedy, suspicion, and unanswered questions. The hosts encourage listeners to engage with the case, inviting them to ponder Jeff Pelly's guilt and the surrounding circumstances that continue to cloud the truth.

Notable Quotes:

• Daphne Woolsoncroft [12:06]: "Yeah, that's very true."
• Heath Merryman [21:09]: "I mean, that really just paints such a devastating image."
• Daphne Woolsoncroft [37:00]: "So this does make sense either way."
• Heath Merryman [53:02]: "Or your dad is going to have some rules, and he's going to punish you if you steal from people."
• Daphne Woolsoncroft [58:39]: "We will see you back here on Friday."
• Daphne Woolsoncroft [59:47]: "Well, again, in the eyes of the law, he did do it."
• Heath Merryman [59:44]: "But without any physical evidence, without the weapon, without any witness sightings of somebody saying that they saw him dispose of the weapon or that his DNA was on this. But I will say the fact that the police found blood in the bathtub and in the bathroom and that we know that Jeff's timeline is really murky. It does really seem like he did it, but it's a tough one."

---

Engage with Us

Daphne and Heath invite listeners to share their thoughts and theories about the case on their social media platforms:

• Instagram: @goingwestpodcast
• Facebook: Going West Podcast

They emphasize the importance of community input in unraveling the truth behind the Prom Night Murders.

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Disclaimer: This summary is based on the transcript provided and aims to encapsulate the key points discussed in the podcast episode. For comprehensive details and nuanced discussions, listening to the full episode is recommended.

Transcript

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[Heath]

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[Daphne]

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[Daphne]

What is going on? True crime fans, I'm your host he.

[Heath]

And I'm your host Daphne.

[Daphne]

And you're listening to Going West.

[Heath]

Hello everybody. Hope you had a great weekend. Hope you're going into a good week right now. Thank you so much to Kim and Isaac who recommended today's case. Felt like the right time to do it. You know. Prom night murders. It's prom season.

[Daphne]

It is.

[Heath]

But this case is so much more controversial than I thought it was going to be. Diving into it originally.

[Daphne]

Absolutely. And that's why we want to know your guys thoughts on today's case. So let us know. Head on over to our socials we're on Instagram @goingwestpodcast. We're also on Facebook. We would love to hear what you guys think about this one. I don't want to give too much away yet.

[Heath]

Yeah. So without further ado, then let us just get into it.

[Daphne]

All right, guys, this is episode 504 of Going West. So let's get into it.

[Heath]

In April of 1989, an intruder wiped out nearly an entire family inside their Indiana home on prom Night. With little evidence left behind at the scene, the case went cold for some time, until renewed vigor in the investigation revealed a shocking suspect, one that many believe to this day may actually be innocent. These are the murders of the Peli family, otherwise known as as the prom night murder. Reverend Robert Pelly, better known as Bob, was born on March 23, 1951, in Kentucky, but he grew up in Ohio. Though oftentimes warm and charismatic, he also held extremely strict virtues. And he had a temper. Bob loved guns and hunting and proudly displayed his shotguns and a Smith and Wesson pistol in his home, which we will be getting back to later. But as a young man, he set his sights on becoming a pastor, though he did very much go back and forth on this idea for a while. Like, when he was off the idea, he attended Youngstown State University and then ultimately decided that he did want to devote his life to the church. So he enrolled in Mount Vernon Nazarene University in Mount Vernon, Ohio. And it was there that he met Ava Joyce Armstrong, better known as Joy, who also hailed from Kentucky. They got married in 1970, and on December 10, 1971, Joy gave birth to their first child, Robert Jeffrey Pelly, or Jeff. We're gonna call him Jeff throughout this whole episode.

[Daphne]

Yeah, we're gonna talk a lot about Jeff.

[Heath]

Indeed. And about three years later, Jeff was joined by a sister, Jacqueline, or Jackie Pelly. In the late 1970s, the family relocated to Florida after Bob secured a job working in tech and then later a prestigious position at a bank. The family settled first in Orlando and then eventually Cape Coral, which is across the Caloosahatchee river from Fort Myers. But sadly, a few short years after settling in Cape Coral, Joy was diagnosed with breast cancer. And on February 24, 1985, she succumbed to the disease at the young age of 34, leaving behind her son Jeff, who was 13, and and daughter Jackie, who is only 10. Then, six months after Joy passed away, Bob met a fellow single parent who had recently lost her spouse as well. So, you know, they have this kind of very tragic thing that they can bond over. And this woman was Don Huber, who was raising three young daughters of her own. Six year old Jessica or Jesse, five year old Janelle, and three year old Jolene. Her husband Edward had passed away in Toledo, Ohio, just a month before. Joy had so very, very similar situations.

[Daphne]

Now, Edward's death was supposedly an accident, but rumors circulated that it was actually a suicide. He had been working on a car at the couple's home and died from carbon monoxide poisoning. So since the answers kind of remain unclear, his obituary simply states that he, quote, died at home.

[Heath]

And this really was the first tragic event that would plague this entire family.

[Daphne]

Yeah, because there are so many more tragedies that are going to come up in this episode. Well, later that year, as Don adjusted to raising her three girls by herself, she and Bob met at a family gathering and they really just kind of hit it off. Bob was in town from Florida visiting his niece, whom Don was friends with. So it was kind of just a very natural meet. Cute. On November 8th of that year, again, this is 1985, mere months after they had lost their spouses and of course, met each other, dawn and Bob got married. Dawn brought her three daughters south to Florida from the Midwest, and the family of seven attempted to adjust to their new surroundings and their massive new blended family. But this changed abruptly when Bob moved all of them back up north to Indiana. And just at a moment's notice, with no real explanation.

[Heath]

So Don and the girls moved away from the Midwest to Florida, and then suddenly they're going right on back.

[Daphne]

Well, apparently, as much as a million dollars went unaccounted for at the bank that Bob worked at. And it's possible that Bob had been accused of money laundering and that he was tied up in cleaning money for drug smugglers.

[Heath]

Ho, ho, boy.

[Daphne]

Yeah, and we're gonna. This is gonna come up a little bit later as well. Now, obviously, I know that it kind of sounds insane that this reverend would be mixed up in something like this, but this is just kind of what was circling around at the time. But either way, Bob resigned or was fired from the bank and quickly accepted a position as the pastor of a small church up north. The family settled in the small town of Lakeville in northern Indiana. So the family moved into the parsonage of the church there. The country town of fewer than 1,000 people was a far cry from coastal Florida, and his salary of just $1,200 a month was modest compared to what he was making at the bank. But he and Don just really enjoyed the sense of community that this small town offered them.

[Heath]

Yeah. And they have, like, you're saying, this free place to live at the church that comes along with his job. They have this real sense of community that they're about to build. And obviously, because he's the pastor, a lot of people are going to really respect him and respect their family, and they're going to be kind of these pillars and figures of Lakeville now. So most of the siblings settled in just fine and seemed to acclimate to and even enjoy this newfound country lifestyle. But this blended family was not without its growing pains. Dawn's daughters found Bob to be unnecessarily harsh and. And authoritative. And their stepbrother Jeff, was volatile and sometimes even violent. He was known for being very smart, but he was perhaps too smart for his own good. You know, one of those. And he kind of used it to get into trouble. When Bob found out that Jeff had been involved in a minor burglary, he brought his son to the police immediately because, as his children and stepchildren would later attest, Bob was a strict disciplinarian who sometimes ruled with an iron fist.

[Daphne]

I think that's honestly kind of amazing, though, that. I mean, obviously we're gonna talk about how Bob can be really kind of over the top with his disciplinarian stuff, but the fact that he's trying to hold his own son accountable, he's like, no, get your ass to the police station. We're gonna let him know what you did.

[Heath]

Yeah, it's kind of like a breath of fresh air from what we usually see with parents of troubled kids, just defending them till the end, even when they murder somebody.

[Daphne]

Right.

[Heath]

But he was not like that. He's like, you. You did something wrong, you're getting in trouble for it, and you're going to learn.

[Daphne]

But on the flip side of that, he was, you know, abusive in his own ways.

[Heath]

Yeah. I mean, there was also a lot of, like, emotional abuse here. Like, I'll get into that now. Actually, I want to spoil it, but. So Jackie, you know, his daughter Jackie, Jeff's sister Jackie remembered queen quote, that's the way we were raised. The day that mom died, prior to her death, dad sat us down on the couch, and he said, no matter whether she lived or died, we had to go on with our lives, and we weren't to be crying about it. And he told Jeff to go do his homework. And he told me that a friend from church was gonna pick me up and take me to church with her, and I had to Spend the night with her and go to school the next morning. And that was typical of Dad. I begged to stay at the house, and he made me go. I went to the church, and the pastor met us at the door. And my mom had passed away, so obviously, that's really rough. She learns her mom died at 10 years old.

[Daphne]

Yeah. And you can't cry about it.

[Heath]

You can't cry. And you also can't stay at the house. You gotta go be normal. Go hang out with your friends, go to church, go to school.

[Daphne]

Yeah, that's really rough.

[Heath]

Yeah. Giving them no time to emotionally process this insane change. And Jackie just described how she was sent to the bathroom inside the church to just pull herself together and then was actually sent back home. She also said, quote, and I knew the whole way home that she had died, but we weren't allowed to cry about it. Dad came home to tell us later. So she literally, at 10, is not allowed, not allowed to cry for her mother.

[Daphne]

And this kind of gives you a little bit more insight into who Bob really was as a person and a father.

[Heath]

Yeah. And that is a really important picture to paint for this whole episode, just knowing what it was like to be in that house.

[Daphne]

Well, in their few short years in Lakeville, Jeff had been caught breaking into parked cars at a shopping mall, smoking weed, which is pretty normal. Shoplifting, and even forging a check from the ladies fund at his father's church. Thus, Don forced him to stand up in front of a meeting of the ladies group to apologize to them personally after he caved and admitted that he was the person who committed that burglary.

[Heath]

Which I think that that is a good thing to do, like take accountability, say you're sorry to these women who did not deserve that.

[Daphne]

Well, he had apparently broken into a home as well and stolen some change, some cash totaling less than $100 and about 40 CDs. Not only was he lashing out, but Jeff's mental health was also cause for some concern, as he had been in family counseling, where he threatened to take his own life. It seems that the sudden loss of his beloved mother, the new addition of his stepmother and his three young sisters, and now the abrupt move from sunny Florida to small town Indiana has kind of taken its toll on Jeff.

[Heath]

And it does make sense that he's having these thoughts and he's lashing out when he can't even express himself emotionally in the house.

[Daphne]

Right. Well, he and his father had been butting heads frequently, and they had even recently got into a punching match regarding his stepmom, Jeff admitted, we didn't get along real well. I mean, we talked hi, bye type of thing, but we never really talked to each other or anything. I mean, I didn't hate her or anything. I mean, we tolerated each other. But about his stepsisters, he claimed, quote, I just loved the girls. Mostly as a favor to the pastor, the charges against Jeff were dropped. But this crime wasn't without punishment because due to his actions, Jeff was barred from attending his own prom. And that's where today's story really comes into play. But he pleaded his case with his father, telling him that his girlfriend Darla Emmons, had bought a new dress just for that dance and that she would be crushed if they couldn't go together. But eventually Bob did give in and agreed to allow him to attend the dance. But he maintained that his son would not be permitted to attend his prior dinner plans, go to the after prom celebration, or head to the amusement park with his friends because they had this plan to go the next day and just more about the plans that they had for that night. So his friends and girlfriend planned to get dinner in South Bend before the dance, and then after prom they were gonna head to a nearby bowling alley. And all of his friends were then going to head to Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois the following morning. So obviously Jeff was furious to be missing out on all these festivities, even though this was really all his fault.

[Heath]

On Saturday, April 29, 1989, nine year old Jesse, remember Don's eldest daughter, was staying with a friend for the weekend in La Paz, Indiana. 14 year old Jackie was attending camp at this time. And 17 year old Jeff was of course preparing for the prom. Now, surprisingly, in the days before the dance, Jeff told his girlfriend Darla that his dad had backed down on his conviction to keep Jeff from the night's activities and that he would be able to attend the event surrounding the dance after all. Which is very important to remember that he said this days earlier. Heath just laid it all out, you know, obviously he very much wanted to go to dinner and prom and the bowling alley and the, the theme park. So yeah, not just the dance. And now he's saying, oh hey, my dad said that I could do it all and everything's fine. And he also told her that he would be permitted to use his own car, which Bob had been so adamant about prohibiting that he canceled the insurance on Jeff's car and hid the keys. But Jeff found them because come Sunday morning, the morning after prom, his car was gone. So it seems like according to Jeff, Bob has completely rescinded all of his restrictions.

[Daphne]

Yeah. Which I don't know.

[Heath]

Yeah. Well, let's skip ahead for a moment. Nine year old Jesse's best friend at the time, a girl named Stephanie, stopped by to have breakfast with the Pellys on the morning of Sunday, April 30, 1989. But when she tried to enter the home, the door was locked, which was really unusual for the Pellys. They, they were always home, people were always stopping by. And also it was kind of weird because both Don and Bob's cars were in the driveway, but the garage door was closed and locked when it too was usually left open, all the curtains were drawn and the house was quiet and static when they typically implemented this open door policy. So, so puzzled by this, Stephanie returned to the neighboring church since remember the Pelis lived in the church's parsonage to tell the adult that the family seemed to be sleeping or absent from the home. At 9:20am services were set to commence in just 10 minutes with no signs of the pastor ready for worship. So some of the church administrators who had keys went over to the house to kind of scope out the situation and just make sure that everything was okay. Thus, Sunday school superintendent David Lydia, whose husband was on the property board and Wilmot, who was a member of the church board as well, decided to survey the residents to check on Robert, Don and the girls.

[Daphne]

In preparation for the sermon, David Hathaway asked a reverend in training to take over at the last minute. Cautiously, David, Lydia and Wilmot entered the home. But almost immediately they came upon a horrifying discovery. Upstairs. Pastor Bob was recumbent on the floor in the hallway with his glasses lying next to him. He had been shot twice, once in the chest and once in the face. Now investigators later surmised that he had been shot first in the chest and that that blast had actually knocked him to the ground where he was then dealt the fatal blow to his face. When David first spotted Bob, he wondered if maybe there had been like a fight. But as he inched closer, he had a sinking realization that Bob was dead. And he had been for a while. David and Wilmot stayed inside to call the police while Lydia reported the devastating news to the congregation. Parishioners poured out of the church to witness the police pulling up to the reverend's home in shock.

[Heath]

Yeah, I mean everybody must have just been mind blown like what do you, the pastor and his family are dead in the house like because everybody was wondering if something had happened. Obviously since he wasn't in the church yet, everything was kind of locked up at the house. But nobody really thought that they were dead in there. Like this was crazy.

[Daphne]

And you got to also remember that this is a town of only about a thousand people. So the community, I'm sure most of the community is probably attendees of that church. So they're kind of looking around at each other like, I wonder, like, who could it be? Like, who could take the life of our pastor and his family?

[Heath]

Yes. And why?

[Daphne]

Now let's get back to the crime itself. So after striking Bob, detectives believe that the assailant chased Don down the stairs and as she tried desperately to shelter her young daughters. But sadly, in the basement, paramedics found 8 year old Janelle and 6 year old Jolene deceased, huddled against their mom, 31 year old Dawn. And it was a gruesome sight. Blood spatter stretched across the walls, the floors, the books on the coffee table and even up to the ceiling. And they had each been shot in the head at close range with Janelle being shot from less than a foot away. And then they were all just lined up on the floor. David Hathaway described it as six legs. As the three clung to each other in terror at what was coming.

[Heath]

I mean, that really just paints such a devastating image. Like they knew that whoever it was was coming towards them and all they could do was hug each other.

[Daphne]

I mean, it's just terrifying. But on top of incredibly sad. Well, as for the murder weapon, one of Bob's shotguns was missing from his gun rack. So of course, investigators surmised that that had been what was used.

[Heath]

Jessie arrived home that morning. Remember, she's only nine years old and she is coming home to this devastating news that just four years after losing her father in a very mysterious and tragic way, all on its own, she now had lost her mother, both of her sisters, and her stepfather.

[Daphne]

I mean, it's just insane. Like, poor girl, like she lost almost all of, well, really all of her biological family, but then she also lost her stepfather too.

[Heath]

Yeah. And her life had obviously been just kind of up in the air since she lost her dad. She moved away from her home to Florida, then to this other town in Indiana. So she's so uprooted and now she's in this still relatively new town and she has no family.

[Daphne]

Yeah, she's just virtually alone.

[Heath]

Yeah. The only people she has there in Lakeville are her two step siblings, Jeff and Jackie, who had both been missing that morning, Don's parents. So Jesse's Grandparents arrived and assumed custody of her that day. And Joy's parents, Jeff and Jackie's grandparents, arrived to take Jackie away from the scene after her arrival. Because like I said, when the attack occurred, Jackie had been away at camp, but she was brought home by an elder when this news came in that day, which left only one person unaccounted for. 17 year old Jeff. When asked where their brother was, Jesse and Jackie both told detectives that they believed he was at Six Flags Great America celebrating his prom, which had been the night prior. When officers determined that Jeff was with his friends and peers from Laville High School at Six Flags, a squad car was sent there to collect him. And that's where they found him, just enjoying a day with his buddies, seemingly none the wiser to these horrific events that had just unfolded inside his home. The next day, when he was questioned alongside his grandparents, Jeff explained, I was shocked. I started crying. I mean, it stunned me. I didn't know how it could happen. I didn't know why it could happen. When asked if he knew anything about the murders, he said, no, I really don't. I don't know who would want to. Which is exactly what you said, Heath, that everybody in town must have been wondering who could have done this and why. Who would want to kill the pastor and his family.

[Daphne]

Right. So at this point, they're just trying to get like a clearer picture from Jeff. So detectives asked about his relationship to the family, and Jeff admitted that like any other teenager, he occasionally had fights with his dad. But on the day of the murders, he maintained, we had a real good Saturday. We got along real well Saturday. We didn't argue at all. He said that I'd been doing a real good job and that I'd been shaping up real well. He added, me and my father didn't get along sometimes and sometimes I'd be really upset with him. But we always work things out. I could sit back later, see where he was coming from. When asked if he had anything to do with the murders, he assured police that he did not. Jeff also admitted that initially his father hadn't wanted him to attend his prom, but that he eventually let up. He told them I was upset and I kept trying to talk him into it, and at first he kept saying no, and then he finally agreed to let me go. As you can imagine, for such a small town that loved their pastor and his family, the funeral gained massive amounts of attention from locals and churchgoers as well as the media because it was just a stunning and unheard of ordeal. I mean, a beloved pastor, a caring mother, and two young girls all gunned down in their home with absolutely no answers. But again, even according to Jesse, Bob was a strict disciplinarian that she hadn't gotten close to just yet. She remembered being scolded, spanked, and yelled at frequently. So according to her estimate, it was actually Bob who had most likely killed her mother and sisters and then killed himself. However, unbeknownst to young Jesse, this was actually physically impossible because there had been no gun found near any of the bodies, and there weren't even any shell casings lying around either. Nothing had been taken from the scene as well, like the property had not been ransacked and there were no signs of forced entry. So, reportedly, within mere hours of assessing the crime scene, police had determined who they deemed responsible. But without enough evidence, they were at a loss for how to convict the guilty party.

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[Heath]

As Jesse assumed her new life, she was instructed to cut off the people in her life from home, including her step siblings and her best friend, Stephanie. And this was kind of just in her own interest of, of like, moving forward from what had happened and leaving that life in Lakeville behind. But Jesse was haunted by the loneliness of being the only survivor of her first family and really struggled with the isolation, the fear, the guilt about being left behind. And so, unable to escape the constant grief that she was feeling, Jessie ran away at the age of 13 and was then placed in foster care. But in her teen years, she was able to kind of subdue some of her grief and angst and live life as a mostly normal teenager. When she was 15, she got a call from her stepbrother, Jeff, who was about 23 at this point and living in four Florida again after settling in the Tampa Bay area. And he asked Jesse if she wanted to come south for a visit, which she was excited to do because like I said, her step siblings really were not in her life. She hadn't seen him in years. So she's like, yeah, I'll come see ya.

[Daphne]

So, yeah, she's really happy that she gets to go see somebody from her.

[Heath]

Past because like you said earlier, Heath, he loved the girls. So they had a good relationship during the short period of time that they were a family. Now, during their time together in Florida, Jeff had asked her who she thought committed the murder. So the topic of this horrific shared event did come up, and Jesse said that she still believed Bob, his dad, had done it, which Jeff actually seemed to agree to. But still, with no arrests, the kids were forced to just move on with their lives. A few years later, Jesse used the inheritance that she gained to buy her own home. She reconnected with an old friend named Tyson, and they actually got married and had two kids of their own. Like his father, Jeff had found success in business and had also gotten Married to a young woman that he met in Florida, Kim Singletary. And the couple made their home in Tarpon Springs, Florida. Jeff and Kim got married on December 17, 1993, but divorced on April 2, 1997. So, like, three and a half years later. And then they got married again on December 17, 1999, which was the same day that they got married the first time, but six years apart. Although they had a son together, Jeff had been very busy with work and his marriage. He was kind of still up to his old antics, it seemed, because in 1994, Jeff was caught in a wire fraud scheme after attempting to access a $48,000 trust fund that was established by his dad and his stepmother. So for this, he served six months of house arrest. But aside from that, he lived a mostly quiet life. He landed a job at IBM. He and Kim purchased a large plot of land in Dade City. And according to neighbors there, they were very quiet and respectful. They mostly stayed away from other people, though. Like one of their neighbors said, I don't even know what they look like. So they were super quiet and private.

[Daphne]

Well, in 2000, so, 11 years after the gruesome murders, a cold case unit was formed for the St. Joseph County, Indiana, Special Crimes Unit, with two detectives reporting to Jesse's home to alert her that they were reopening the case of the murders of her mom, stepdad, and her sisters. They asked if she had any indication as to who had done it, and she claimed that she still felt strongly that it had been her stepfather, Bob. When they finally told her that that was actually impossible, Jessie was stunned. So detectives asked if there was anybody else in her life that she may suspect. And she claims that she actually wondered about her stepbrother Jeff's involvement. They admitted to her that Jeff had been their main and only suspect from day one, but that without evidence or the murder weapon, they couldn't secure his arrest. So two more years would pass. And in 2002, a new prosecutor took over the case and wanted to take a second look. The former team felt that there just wasn't enough to prosecute Jeff, but. But the new team disagreed and even arrested him on Saturday, August 10, 2002, when he was 30 years old. And Jeff had actually been out of the country at the time because he was traveling to Australia for his position at IBM. So he was quickly arrested by customs agents at the Los Angeles International Airport upon his arrival back to the states. Now, although prosecutors felt pretty certain that Jeff was behind the murders, the case built against him was completely circumstantial Yeah.

[Heath]

I mean, it's really tough because they thought he did it from the beginning because he seemed like the only person that really had a motive. He was. He had a poor relationship with his father.

[Daphne]

He was pissed off about his father being overbearing about his prom activities.

[Heath]

Yeah, he wanted to just go have some fun. Like we said, he told his girlfriend Darla that his dad had changed his mind. But we can't help but question if that was true and that if he came up with a different plan to silence his father's harsh ideas. So it absolutely made sense that police wondered about him from day one and are finally like, let's see if we can get him for it.

[Daphne]

Well, it's really interesting because later, deputy prosecutor Frank Shaffer stated, quote, I really don't know what was the guiding force behind them to charge him, but they did. The probable cause affidavit reveals that Jeff initially lied about his whereabouts and. And the timing of his movements on the night of his prom and the murders of his family. Then, off the record, he asked them if he could be facing the death penalty if he, you know, theoretically committed the slayings, which felt, like, really suspicious. Like, that's kind of a dumb thing to ask.

[Heath]

Yeah, I mean, if you didn't do it, you're not going to be like, so if I did, you know, theoretically, if I did do this, if I.

[Daphne]

Did kill my whole family, would I.

[Heath]

Be put to death?

[Daphne]

Actually, the law regarding the death penalty back then extended to underage teens, so police informed him that he may be facing death penalty charges. And upon hearing this, he apparently just slumped in his chair and covered his face with his hands.

[Heath]

Pretty. Pretty suspicious, if you ask me.

[Daphne]

I'd say so.

[Heath]

Well, let's get into the timeline of the evening and really look at this full picture here. Now, as we know, Bob was a fixture in the Lakeville community, and many of the teens wanted to stop by and show off their outfits before for attending prom, which is kind of. This is like, one of the only real reasons I could potentially see Bob going back on what he said to Jeff about not being allowed to do anything else, because all the teens really liked Bob. And so maybe he was like, oh, I'm not gonna ruin this for everybody else by not letting my son come and hang out with his friends.

[Daphne]

And this is actually so interesting because I. I grew up in a small town, and our Pat, our pastor at the First Baptist Church, he was like, you. You could consider him like a city official. You know what I'm saying, right. Almost like a mayor or something because he knows all the family. He's been helping them through like their marriages and their, their children and stuff like that. He like he helps the whole community.

[Heath]

So he's got an intimate look.

[Daphne]

Yeah. So it's really strange here because it's like Bob is just this bigger than life character in this small town.

[Heath]

So much so that all these kids that are going to prom, they're like, oh, I want to show Bob my dress or I want him to see us before we go. Because this was such an exciting thing. You know, teens going to prom, it's a really big deal for them. So the last prom attendee to stop by the house and actually see, physically see the Pellys for the last time was family friend Kim Oldenburg, who left the Pelly House at 4:45pm that Saturday. The next time a teen came by that night, the house was shuttered. Jeff claimed that he left the residence around 4:45 as well. So at the same time as Kim. Meaning he wouldn't have been home to see his family get murdered. But witnesses claim that they saw his car there later than 4:45, around 5:20pm so about 35 minutes later, Jeff called his girlfriend Darla from a gas station on the way to her house to alert her that he was running late. At the gas station he picked up a screwdriver likely to fix something in his 1984 Ford Mustang that his dad had disabled, you know, in order to dissuade him from driving the vehicle.

[Daphne]

Yeah, so not only did he hide Jeff's keys and cancel the insurance, he also disabled the car. So Jeff was like, well, I know a thing or two about cars. I know how to fix this.

[Heath]

I mean that's pretty serious though. Like if you're going to go to all those measures to make sure your son doesn't take the car, I don't.

[Daphne]

Know if you're going back on your word.

[Heath]

I don't know either. And especially because whatever he had done to the car clearly isn't fixed because here's Jeff leaving and he has to stop at a gas station to get a screwdriver. So you would think if Bob went back and said, you know what, Jeff, head on out, have some fun. He would have fixed the frickin car.

[Daphne]

Yeah, very true.

[Heath]

Well after this time, the Pellys were then due at another teen's house, the home of Crystal Easter Day, whose grandma Lydia was one of the three people to find the Pellys shot dead in their home. The following morning, Crystal had been expecting Don and Bob at 5:30pm So 10 minutes after, Jeff called his girlfriend, but they never arrived, meaning they were likely murdered between when Kim left the house at 4:45pm and 5:30pm later at the dance, Jeff asked Crystal if his parents had arrived to see her dress, and she said that they had not. Which is kind of interesting as well. Like, he's trying to gauge the situation a little bit. Like, why would he ask why the hell does Jeff give a about Crystal's dress being seen by his dad?

[Daphne]

Yeah, I think he's probably just trying to see if, like, did one of them survive? Did paramedics come to the house because they heard shots or something? Like, he is very much gauging the situation.

[Heath]

We're trying to see what does Crystal think? Is she. Is she confused at why they didn't show up? So there are these little things that it kind of feels like, but there's this element and. And there is going to be more of that. So there also. We want to talk about the timeline itself and the timing, because there was a very slim amount of time between when Kim left the Pelly home and when Jeff would have needed to leave the home in order to get to the gas station by the time he called Darla. But this window of opportunity was not altogether an impossible amount of time to commit a murder spree, especially with a gun. Prosecutors argued that it would have been significant enough time to briefly annihilate his family, clean himself up, and take off. Like, he would have had roughly 20, 30 minutes to do this before getting to the gas station. And this is a very small town. The gas station was just up the road. Detectives found traces of blood in the bathtub and on the bathroom floor. So they believe that Jeff had quickly showered himself off while his family lay dead around the house. House, thrown his clothes in the wash, picked up the six shell casings discarded of the gun somewhere, and taken off for Darla's house. So, again, quite seemingly possible. So investigators have maintained from the beginning that Jeff is the only person who had both the motive and the opportunity to commit these murders.

[Daphne]

Jeff's girlfriend Darla, also claimed that when Jeff slyly told her in the days before prom that he would be able to drive them to the dance and attend the events after all, that she should not mention it to his father or anybody else, should it come up.

[Heath]

Which tells us. I mean, it kind of does tell us that he probably was lying then and that his father had not changed his mind.

[Daphne]

Yeah, he's like my father said, it's okay, but don't say anything. Yeah, like okay. And according to Darla, Jeff had shown up late to her house and still needed to get dressed before the dance.

[Heath]

Yeah, so if he had, he says he left at 4:45, which doesn't make any sense because it wouldn't have taken him 35 minutes to get to the gas station. So why would he not get ready at home and then go that way?

[Daphne]

Yeah, it doesn't really make any sense. Well, he also claimed that he hadn't had a chance to take any pictures with his family.

[Heath]

I'm sure they would have wanted those.

[Daphne]

He then drove the two of them to the East Bank Emporium in South Bend where they had dinner with a few friends before attending the dance at the local Elks Lodge, of which there are actually photos, including one photo of Jeff's friends carrying him as he laughs in his baby blue tux. After the dance, Jeff, Darla and their friends went bowling, convened at another friend's house and then left for Six Flags around 3, 6:30 in the morning on Sunday, April 30th. Then around noon, Darla remembers him telling her that he had a feeling that something wasn't right back at home for whatever reason. And then a short while later, police arrived to alert him of the murders. The choir leader for their church, named Carol, later admitted, we knew there was friction between the father and son, but you can't even imagine. I knew he hated his father. He told everybody, I hate my dad. He was very resentful. I knew there was jealousy with the second marriage and that his father paid attention to the little girls. My very first thought was that he couldn't have done it. He couldn't have hated him that much. But over time, then I started to think, my golly, he probably did. Carol also claimed that his behavior at the funeral on May 3 is what shifted the blame to Jeff in her mind. Recalling, there was Jeff sitting there with his big eyes, just glaring, piercing eyes. I thought it had to be shock. The rest of the family was so torn up. And he just sat there staring. I'll never forget those eyes. When Jeff's case went to trial in 2006, Jessie faced her former stepbrother again for the first time since having seen him in Florida a decade earlier. Though she claims that he wouldn't even look at her, Jackie was one of the few people who testified on behalf of her brother, telling the court, he is one of the most kind and compassionate people I know. If anyone, Jackie Blames their father for what happened, saying that the murders were more than likely a hit job due to his shady business dealings back in Florida.

[Heath]

And Jackie also maintained that on the day he was murdered, Bob and Jeff got into a physical altercation in which Bob was the aggressor, pushing his son to the ground. Which is interesting that she says this, because what did Jeff say to police that happened that day? Nothing. That they. They got along.

[Daphne]

Yeah, we had a great Saturday, remember? But apparently they did not like Jesse.

[Heath]

She maintained that the household was strict and repressive, but her testimony did little to sway the court, because really, she was just giving Jeff more motive to commit the murders. So on July 21, 2006, Jeff Pelly was found to be guilty, and he was sentenced to 160 years in prison. In 2008, Jeff's conviction was briefly overturned by the Indiana Court of Appeals, but the following year, it was upheld by the Indiana Supreme Court. In March of 2009, the McKinney Wrongful Conviction Clinic took on Jeff's case on behalf of Jeff and Jackie. But there has been no forward momentum since. And that was obviously, like, 16 years ago. So it's been a while now. Despite what seems like enough evidence stacked against him, there's also enough reasonable doubt to leave many followers of the case just feeling unsatisfied at its outcome. Jeff argues that he was acting normally at the dance and all evening until he claims he had a bad feeling the following day, which he even admitted to police he had no bruising on his shoulders from holding the shotgun. Though some have maintained that a 20 gauge shotgun would not have done very much damage to its user. Anyway, as we mentioned, Jeff would have had a very tight window of time in which to commit the murders, which some feel would have been impossible. In the days leading up to her murder, Don allegedly wrote a check to Jeff for prom expenses, which may have meant that he had been allowed to go after all. Though this also could have been solely for his tuxedo and his corsage, which he would have needed even if he was only attending the dance, which we know his father did agree to.

[Daphne]

Yeah, so this kind of doesn't really mean anything. It's like, if you look into it, it's like he was allowed to go to prom. He just wasn't allowed to go to the other things. So this does make sense either way. And another thing I want to mention, when you're a teenager, you think that that moment in your life is the most important moment that will ever come in your Life, you know, you think that prom is the end all, be all. You think being a teenager that, you know, this is the most important time to be alive, but really it's not. You're going to move on from high school. You're going to. You're going to meet other friends. You're going to get married as Jeff did. So if he did commit these murders, it was one of those things where it was like, hey, man, you had the whole rest of your life ahead of you, and you did this. You didn't have to do this.

[Heath]

I completely agree with you. And that's what's so crazy, is that he was arrested 13 years after the crimes occurred. So, yeah, if he did it, he must have just been like, damn, Like, I just. I can't believe I did that horrific thing when I was young, and now I'm paying for it. When. When you can kind of see it distantly and differently than you would have, because you're absolutely right. When you're a teenager, you think this. That everything is so, so important when it's not like your life hasn't even began. And of course I would understand why Jeff would want to go to his prom and have fun, but it's like, well, then maybe you shouldn't have stolen from the ladies fund. Like, you're still a minor. Your. Your dad is going to have some rules, and he's going to punish you if you steal from people. So it's such a mess.

[Daphne]

Yeah. And not to say that, you know, being a teenager is not an important part of your life because it's. It's that period of time when you're maturing, you're. You're going through puberty and stuff like that. You've got a lot of hormones, angst, and stuff like that. So, I mean, I get it, but just remember that, like, this is not gonna be the most important time of.

[Heath]

Your life, which is why it's really like, did you seriously potentially kill your two young baby stepsisters, your stepmother and your dad, because you wanted to go to prom? And I'm sure it wouldn't have just been from that. Like, I think if Jeff did it, it was more of like, my dad is.

[Daphne]

My dad's a dick. Anyway.

[Heath]

Yeah, he's oppressive and he is ruining my life, and he's horrible and he's. You know, and so he saw it that way, but it's just crazy when you think about the fact that he said, I loved those girls. And it's like, well, then they would have just Been collateral damage and what horrific collateral damage that was.

[Daphne]

Absolutely, completely agree. And you know Bob, like just for any parents out there, like I think if you're, if you're getting into physical fights with your children like that, you're obviously not a good parent. Like that's not. And that's something that Bob did with Jeff. They would get in punching matches with each other.

[Heath]

And like we said as well, he was very emotionally restrictive on his kids. And you have to let people have the emotions that they're gonna have if their mom dies. They're allowed to cry.

[Daphne]

Yeah, that's another great point, is maybe Bob, Bob's like reaction to his kids emotions desensitized Jeff enough to where he could commit such a horrible act. You know what I mean?

[Heath]

Yeah. It is very possible.

[Daphne]

And I mean, I'm not trying to make excuses for Jeff because obviously if he did commit these murders, then you know, that's on him. It's not like, yeah, your dad was overbearing and he was very strict, but on top of that, that doesn't give you an excuse to murder your whole family.

[Heath]

Well, especially because it wasn't just his dad, it was three innocent people, two of which were children. And he's not taking any accountability, which might be because he didn't do it. But it is kind of hard for me, for me to believe that he didn't. And to be fair, he was convicted. So in the eyes of the law, he is responsible for these murders. But I just feel like the fact that Jackie outed him and said that he did have a physical fight with his dad that day that his dad started and he said that, you know, when he was questioned before that, back in the day, he told police that they had a happy good day together with no fighting. It just feels like he was caught in many lies. He says that he left the house at 4:45pm which people have disputed, witnesses have disputed. And also it would not have taken him 35 minutes to go to a gas station. So there are a lot of lies here. That's clear. And I do think he had a lot of motive.

[Daphne]

Yeah. And he also had a lot of time after that prom as well where it's like he didn't go home. You know, he went over to friends house. Like would his father, Bob let him stay out all night and then at 6:30 in the morning take off for Six Flags? Probably not something Bob would allow him to do.

[Heath]

Yeah. One thing I really wonder about is where he would have hidden the murder weapon. But God, I mean, he could have put it anywhere.

[Daphne]

Yeah, that's one of the big things of this case is like, did he. Did he drop it in a body of water? Did he bury it somewhere?

[Heath]

Did he throw it away in a trash can that wasn't checked?

[Daphne]

Yeah, because they never found it.

[Heath]

Well, in 2002. 2022. Sorry. A new hearing was held in order for Jeff's team to present new evidence. And in this hearing, his defense attorney, Fran Watson, took issue with one of the strongest claims of his involvement, which was that the clothes he had been wearing on Saturday were found still damp in the washing machine, likely after he had shot his family, removed them, and thrown them in the wash before departing for the dance. Fran says that she could find no evidence to back up the fact that his wet clothes were, in fact, pulled from the washing machine at the crime scene, and that this detail could not be determined from the photos at the crime scene nor in the police reports.

[Daphne]

So that really does not look good for the prosecution, actually.

[Heath]

Well, on top of this, in the days before his death, Bob allegedly spoke with a female member of his church, confiding in her that he had moved money around illegally and that there were bad people who were after both he and his family. But detectives did call this into question because she didn't come forward with this information, which is obviously very pertinent information, until a year after Jeff was arrested and 14 years after the murders occurred. So she. She should have said this way back in the day if it was true.

[Daphne]

Yeah, like, hey, a light bulb should have went off in your brain. Hey, he told me this really strange thing, like, before he died. So I wonder if maybe this has any relevance to the case. Like, come on. Duh.

[Heath]

Oh, you know, he said somebody was after him, and then he was murdered. But it didn't occur to me that that was important until a decade and a half later.

[Daphne]

Yeah.

[Heath]

So, you know, the seeds of doubt that remain in the case of Jeff's guilt are largely due to the sudden departure from Bob's banking job and their home in Florida. Because also, interestingly, after they relocated to Indiana, Olive Branch, which is the church that they were a part of, hoped to publish Bob's professional picture to announce his hiring. And Bob apparently didn't want them to do it and even said that this made him feel unsafe because there may have been people looking for him. Bob was also seen speaking to someone in a black pickup truck in the days leading up to the murders, and the identity of the driver has not been determined.

[Daphne]

So that's obviously very sketchy.

[Heath]

Yeah. And this all just ties in with the abrupt and financially motivated departure from Florida. But was this a real possibility or a convenient story from a guilty man's defense team grasping at straws? It's honestly really hard to say because both feel very plausible. I think the simplest conclusion is that it was Jeff, but the Florida shit is really interesting.

[Daphne]

Yeah. When you throw that in there, it's like. And also the fact that there's really no physical evidence. It's all circumstantial fact for the most part. I mean, it really. You could kind of go either way.

[Heath]

Which is why I do think there is absolutely reasonable doubt in this case. I think a lot leads to Jeff being responsible, but I actually am kind of shocked that he is behind bars right now.

[Daphne]

Well, in 2019, on the 30th year anniversary of the murders, Jesse, with the help of her cousin, released a book entitled I am Jessica, detailing her journey with grief. Meanwhile, Jackie continues to fight for her brother's innocence and has even created a website to chronicle their journey. Jeff's motion for a fourth trial was denied in April of 2024, but Jackie maintains that she will continue to push for her brother's.

[Heath]

Foreign. Thank you so much, everybody for listening to this episode of Going West.

[Daphne]

Yes, thank you guys so much for listening to this episode. In the beginning, I told you that this case was kind of controversial. It takes a few different turns. So would really love to hear what you guys think about this. Do you think that Jeff was actually responsible? What do you think about the stuff going on with Bob and Florida? Florida. Do you think that that ties in? Let us know. We're on socials, we're on Instagram, @goingwest podcast, also on Facebook.

[Heath]

I really hate when these types of questions are forced to be asked when somebody is sitting behind bars. Because if somebody's sitting behind bars, it should be very, very final, and you should be very sure. But there is a little bit of doubt. I think most of us will agree that it most likely was Jeff. But without any physical evidence, without the weapon, without any witness sightings of somebody saying that they saw him dispose of the weapon or that his DNA was on this. But I will say the fact that the police found blood in the bathtub and in the bathroom and that we know that Jeff's timeline is really murky. It does really seem like he did it, but it's. It's a tough one. Would love to hear your thoughts.

[Daphne]

Well, again, in the eyes of the law, he did do it.

[Heath]

It right. Very true. Well, thank you guys so much for tuning into this episode. Big thank you again to Kim and Isaac for recommending it. And another thing, want to remind you guys that on July 8, my debut thriller novel, Night Watcher is coming out. It is about a fictional serial killer called the Hiding man and a young late night radio show host named Nola Strait who's trying to figure out if he is back in her city of Portland, Oregon. It's such a creepy book. It was so fun to write. I can't wait for you all to read it. Check it out, pre order it now and thank you for tuning in. We will see you back here on Friday.

[Daphne]

All right guys. So for everybody out there in the.

[Heath]

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[Mara Brock Akil]

Are you having sex with Bileesi? Well, if you have low sex drive like millions of other women, you might be missing out. Bileesi or Bremelanotide is clinically proven to you increase sex drive in certain women. It's the first and only FDA approved as needed treatment for low sex drive. Put low sex drive in its place and go to vileese.com for a telemedicine appointment to learn if Vileesi is right for you. That's V-Y-L-E-E-S-I.com vile C is a prescription medicine used to treat hypoactive sexual desire disorder in premenopausal women who have not had problems with low sexual desire in the past and have low sexual desire. No matter the type of sexual activity situation or partner, the low sexual desire is troubling to them and is not due to medical, mental health or relationship problems or medicine or other drug use. Do not use Vileci if you have uncontrolled hypertension or known heart disease. The most common side effects include nausea, flushing, injection site reactions, headache and vomiting. Consult your healthcare professional for more information and see full [e-mail] or call 800-922-1038. Go to vileesi.com for a telemedicine appointment to find out if Vileesi is right for you. That's v y l E-E-S I.com make.

[Heath]

Your memorial Day weekend joyfully chill with a cool, creamy sensation of My Mochi Ice Cream. My Mochi is perfectly portioned scoops of premium ice cream wrapped in sweet soft dough. It comes in all your favorite flavors like strawberry, mango, cookies and cream and amazing new flavors like lemon cheesecake. My Mochi ice cream is gluten free and only around 70 calories per piece. Look for the purple box of Mymochi at walmart or visit mymochi.com to find a store near you.