13 WTHR - Indianapolis News |Wedding day turns to murder in Benton County

Wedding day turns to murder in Benton County

Kevin Rader/Eyewitness News

Benton County - A 40-year-old Lafayette woman is dead and her alleged killer is on the run. Now police are trying to figure out why - and how - a wedding day ended in murder.

As police search for the murder suspect who may have boarded a flight out of Indianapolis, the family and friends of the victim are dealing with their loss.

"Best friendly neighbor ever," said Rachel Downen, describing murder victim Christine Craig.

Downen was sitting in Craig's living room last Saturday when the telephone rang.

"She got a call saying, 'Hey, I'll be there in twenty minutes,'" said Downen. "I was like, 'Do you want me to go with you?' She was like, 'No. I'll be right back.'"

Christine Craig drove a few minutes to rural Benton County to meet the man she thought she was going to marry that day.

"There was a confrontation between the two. That's when he shot her then he took off after the car left he left also," said Sgt. Kim Riley, Indiana State Police.

Craig's daughter drove off to try and get help at a nearby convenience store. The suspect, Steven Farrell, drove off.

"We were right here in her house waiting for her," said Downen.

But Christine Craig would never return. The gunshot she suffered proved fatal.

The incident stretched through three different counties, including a relationship in West Lafayette in Tippecanoe County, a shooting in Benton County and an escape which would stretch all the way to Marion County.

Indiana State Police got a tip that Farrell's silver pickup truck was parked at the Indianapolis International Airport in the red lot. Investigators are now viewing surveillance cameras and flight records to determine if Farrell purchased a ticket and boarded a flight out of Indianapolis. He is believed to have family in Utah and friends and relatives in Carol, White, Lafayette and Benton Counties in Indiana.

Police consider Farrell a dangerous suspect. Meantime, Rachel Downen is coping with the loss of a friend.

"Hard. I just want to go next door and talk to her," she said.

Steven Farrell is 57. He's 5-11, 200 pounds, with salt and pepper hair and brown eyes. Call police if you think you've seen him.