Andrew Conley

Case details

Andrew Conley was 17 years old when he strangled his little brother, Conner Conley, to death in their Ohio County home. He later told investigators that he hid his brother’s body near the Rising Sun City Park and then reported the killing to police at the Rising Sun Police Department.

Timeline

• November 29, 2009 — Andrew Conley reported to detectives that he had strangled his brother and had hidden the body near the Rising Sun City Park.
• November 29, 2009 — Conner Conley’s body was found about 8:15 p.m. after Ohio County Sheriff’s Deputy Adam Ziegler received word a boy’s body was in Rising Sun City Park.
• December 3, 2009 — Prosecutors said charges against Andrew Conley were upgraded to murder and that he would be tried as an adult.
• December 4, 2009 — An ABCNews.go.com report described Andrew Conley as having allegedly admitted strangling his little brother and being inspired by “Dexter.”
• September 22, 2010 — A five-day sentencing hearing for Andrew Conley ended, and a sentencing date of October 15 was announced.
• September 17, 2010 — A videotaped confession was shown during sentencing, and Conley broke into tears while watching.
• September 15, 2010 — Sentencing arguments began in Ohio County Circuit Court after Conley pleaded guilty.
• October 15, 2010 — Judge James H. Humphrey sentenced Andrew Conley to life in prison without parole.
• August 1, 2012 — The Indiana Supreme Court upheld Conley’s life sentence without parole.
• October 31, 2012 — Andrew Conley appeared in a nationally televised program on the E! Network connected to an episode titled “When Teens Kill.”

Background

Andrew Conley lived in the small town of Rising Sun. His brother, Conner Conley, was 10 years old. At the time of the murder, Andrew was 17.

The reporting described Andrew’s family situation and relationships. Conner’s parents, Bridget and Shawn Conley, were working at a local casino at the time of the murder, and they later divorced. Andrew’s grandmother, Diana Monk, kept in touch with him, and she described visiting him during his time in juvenile.

The reporting also described how Andrew’s behavior affected his schooling. He had dropped out of Rising Sun High School shortly before the murder, and the family had withdrawn him from school two weeks earlier after he cut his arms.

The offence

Andrew Conley strangled his younger brother, Conner Conley, to death in their Ohio County home. He told investigators that after the brothers wrestled in the living room, he strangled Conner with his hands for about 20 minutes. He said he then placed a bag over Conner’s head and fastened it with black electrician’s tape.

Andrew described moving Conner’s body. He dragged Conner down a flight of steps and placed Conner’s body in the trunk of his car. Prosecutors and court reporting described the murder including additional acts beyond strangulation: Conley twice strangled Conner for a total of 20 minutes, placed a bag over his head, and slammed Conner’s head into the pavement in the family’s garage to ensure Conner was dead.

After killing Conner, Andrew dumped the body in a wooded area near the Rising Sun City Park. He later described hiding Conner’s body by placing sticks over him, described as “That was my own burial for him.”

Andrew told investigators he did not know why he killed his brother. He also told investigators that he planned to kill his father. He stated during the investigation and his courtroom statement that he tried to slit his throat with a knife but was unable to follow through. Reporting included that he twice entered his father’s bedroom with a knife intending to slit his throat the night of the murder.

Andrew also told investigators that he had fantasized about killing someone since he was in eighth grade and that he watched the Showtime television series “Dexter,” in which a forensic lab worker turned serial killer hunts criminals who slip through the legal system. Conley said he felt alone and that nobody wanted him, even though he had friends and family. He stated “Dexter” was “just a TV show” and connected his feelings to the main character.

Investigation

Indiana State Police Det. Tom Baxter led the investigation. Baxter described Andrew’s manner during a walk-through at the murder scene as calm.

During the investigation, prosecutors portrayed Andrew’s conduct in terms of inconsistent statements and a lack of remorse. The reporting described that a court psychologist who evaluated Andrew, Dr. Ed Connor, stated that Conley desired the death penalty, and described a conversation in which Conley asked about receiving the death penalty.

Arrest and custody

The reporting described that Andrew Conley turned himself in after the killing. He went to the Rising Sun Police Department hours later to inform police of what he had done.

The reporting described how Conley’s parents interacted with police after Conley reported the killing. Ohio County Sheriff’s Deputy Adam Ziegler testified that Bridget Conley walked into the room and stated: “You killed my son,” and that Andrew stated: “I know.”

Andrew’s custody situation was described as involving juvenile detention and later transfer. The reporting described that he spent four nights in the Dearborn County Juvenile Detention Center in Lawrenceburg and was transferred Thursday night to the Switzerland County Jail in Vevay.

Trial

Andrew Conley pleaded guilty to murder in Ohio Circuit Court.

The reporting described that Conley’s guilty plea occurred on September 13, and that the sentencing proceeded with a five-day sentencing hearing.

Sentencing

Judge James H. Humphrey sentenced Andrew Conley to life in prison without parole on October 15, 2010.

A sentencing hearing included statements and arguments from both sides. Prosecutor Aaron Negangard and defense attorney Gary Sorge were involved, and defense lawyer John Watson and defense attorney Leanna Weissmann were described in connection with mitigating factors and appeal arguments. The reporting also described that Judge Humphrey dismissed nearly every mitigating factor defense attorneys used to try to temper the sentence.

Judge Humphrey read from a prepared statement for about 20 minutes. The reporting described Humphrey’s conclusions that Conley knew what he was doing and that Conley gave numerous inconsistent statements to police and mental health experts. The reporting said Humphrey also emphasized the aggravating circumstance of the victim’s age and weighed aggravating circumstances as outweighing mitigating circumstances.

Conley’s demeanor was described during the sentencing. He sat without moving through most of the five days of sentencing and sat with his head down at the defense table when the decision was read.

Verbatim statements and quoted material

Prosecutor Aaron Negangard said:

“The heinous facts of this crime are difficult to comprehend,”

Judge Humphrey said:

“True remorse would have been expressed during the hours the murder took place,”

Justice Steven H. David wrote on behalf of the majority in connection with the appeal decision:

“The judge was within his discretion in weighing the mitigating factors in the manner in which he did. Ultimately, we find no abuse of discretion in Judge Humphrey’s analysis of those factors and ultimate sentence of life without parole,”

Conley apologized and addressed the court during sentencing by reading from a handwritten note:

“I would like to apologize to Mom and Dad for all this. I would like to apologize to the community of Ohio County for all this happening. I still have no idea why this happened but I really wish I did. I go to sleep every night and wake up every morning and wish I could change what happened,”

Conley continued during sentencing:

“He is a monster and deserves to rot in jail.”

Defense attorney Jody Madeira’s remarks were reported:

“He is clearly mentally ill, and without treatment he’s going to be as much of a danger in prison as he would be outside,”

And:

“The prosecution is looking for the maximum sentence, which might not be in society’s best interest.”

During earlier televised remarks tied to the “Dexter” comparison, Conley said:

“’Dexter’ was just a TV show I watched. The only thing I felt like Dexter was that I felt alone. I felt like nobody wanted me, even though I had friends and I had family. I just felt like I wasn’t any good to anyone,”

Conley told the interviewer:

“I didn’t bury him. I just said goodbye. I put a few sticks over him, not too many. That was my own burial for him. I told him he will get justice,”

Diana Monk said:

“The first time I saw him in juvenile, he was crying and I was crying. He said ‘My parents don’t want me anymore Grandma. Do you?’”

Det. Tom Baxter said:

“This whole demonstration, interaction at the house was just a matter of fact as any old conversation,”

When reporting the police interview, Conley said during the videotaped confession:

“I reached into that drawer. I pulled out the bag. I pulled it over his head. I got the tape, the black electrical tape,”

Appeals

Conley appealed the life sentence without parole.

The Indiana Supreme Court upheld the sentence in a ruling described as 3-2. The ruling included that life punishment was appropriate because Conley’s little brother suffered during a drawn out murder. It also described that the majority found no abuse of discretion in Judge Humphrey’s analysis of mitigating factors and ultimate sentence.

Other details

Victim details

Conner Conley was 10 years old. Multiple reports described Conner as having his body found in a wooded area near the Rising Sun City Park.

Autopsy

The autopsy was performed on Conner Conley’s body at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. Dr. Dean Hawley, a forensic pathologist, determined that the cause of death was “manual strangulation” and the manner of death was “homicide.”

Confession and police demonstrations

Conley’s videotaped confession was shown during sentencing. Prosecutors described the video as showing Conley in an interview room with Indiana State Police detectives Tom Baxter and Glenn Potts. The reporting described that Conley asked Judge James Humphrey to stop the video, and the court was recessed twice due to Conley’s emotional display.

Media and “Dexter” references

Multiple reports described Andrew Conley’s statements comparing his urge to kill to satisfying a craving like a person craving a hamburger, and described his identification with “Dexter.” The E! Network program was described as featuring Conley in a televised episode titled “When Teens Kill,” and included material about Conley’s mother Bridget at the police station.

Conley told the televised interviewer:

“When my mom showed up the police had to hold her back trying to get at me. She said both her kids were dead. She was crying and I was crying. She kept yelling ‘Why?’ and I didn’t have an answer,”

The reporting described Conley telling the interviewer that he was going to Hell and deserved it.