The Prom Night Murders constitute one of the most chilling murders in the history of the planet. We know that prom nights are the most awaited events in a student’s life. In fact, every student tries their best to make their prom night a memorable event in their lives. Another dream of the students is to dance with his/her favourite senior. In fact, students try to put up their best appearances on that night.
However, in some cases, children and teenagers resort to some extreme means to make their prom nights successful. One such case occurred in 1989. This event involved Jeff Pelley, a 17-year-old boy. In order to have a perfect prom night, the boy killed his family members.
Therefore, if you wish to know more about this insane murderer, then this article is the perfect stop for you. Keep reading this article to know more about the murderer and the event in detail.
The Incident
The chilling murder occurred in 1989. Let me inform you that the father of Jeff was the pastor of Olive Branch Church in Lakeville. His name was Reverend Robert Pelley. After the prom night, he did not arrive at the church for the morning services. Some parishioners took the master key and opened the door. However, they were not prepared for the scene inside the church. They found that the pastor was laying down on the floor. He had two bullet marks on his body.
However, that was not the end of the horror. In addition to the pastor, the bodies of her wife and their two daughters were also discovered with bullet marks. After investigation, the police concluded that all four victims fell prey to close-range shots. In addition, a gun from the family’s rack was also missing.
In addition, after the crime, three more children of the family went missing, Their names were Jessica, Jeff and Jacque. Of the three, Jessica had gone to a friend’s house for a sleepover and she returned soon. Jacque was at a church camp out of town. Finally, Jeff went to the prom night at LaVille High School. However, further investigation revealed the truth.
Police Suspected Jeff
The police carried out detailed investigations and research. At the end of the process, they came to know that Jeff’s father also put restrictions on Jeff’s activities during the event. This was a punishment for Jeff, as he was caught stealing some CDs and money from a neighbouring home. Robert also told his son that he would drive him up to the prom event.
All this made Jeff feel humiliated. Therefore, he decided to take revenge on his family for humiliating him. Thus, twenty minutes before heading to the prom, he shot his stepmother, his father and his two step-sisters.
Jeff’s Arrest
From the very start of the investigation, the police suspected Jeff. However, they could arrest him 13 years after the murder. He was charged with the crime in 2002. The court found Jeff guilty of the murders and sentenced him to 160 years behind the bars. Though in 2008 the conviction was reversed by the Indiana Court of Appeals, within a year the Supreme Court upheld the previous conviction.
Concluding Lines
As of now, Jeff is 50 years old. He still argues that he has not murdered his family members. Therefore, now as he has a chance to present fresh evidence of his innocence, let us wait and see what comes out of the proceedings.
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