SULLIVAN COUNTY, Ind. — A Sullivan County grand jury indicted a man for the 2012 murder of an 85-year-old retired farmer.
The jury indicted 38-year-old William Ray Grimes Wednesday on felony charges of murder, burglary and conspiracy to commit burglary in the death of retired farmer Lowell Badger.
Badger was found shot to death in his Sullivan County home on Dec. 8, 2012. Detectives investigated hundreds of tips and conducted more than 300 interviews over more than 11 years since Badger was murdered.
Over the years, police urged the public to be on the lookout for items that were taken from Badger's home, including a floor safe and a television.
The grand jury heard six days of evidence and testimony starting April 17 before issuing a true bill indicting Grimes on Wednesday. According to NBC affiliate WTWO in Terre Haute, Grimes is currently serving a 40-year sentence from a 2023 conviction for battery, theft and unlawful possession of a firearm.
"This is the beginning of the criminal process," special prosecuting attorney Rob Roberts said. "Once again, we encourage anyone that has information related to the murder of Mr. Badger to contact the Indiana State Police.”
A phone message was left by the Associated Press for Roberts, requesting details on what led investigators to Grimes and other information.
Police investigators in December 2021 renewed their plea for information about Badger's killing. It came a year after police released photos showing vehicles that may have been in the area around the time Badger was killed. Those photos were taken from a gas station’s security video in nearby Graysville, a few miles east of the Illinois state line.
A reward of about $30,000 was offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for Badger’s death.