Man indicted in Sullivan County cold case murder

SULLIVAN COUNTY, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — After over 11 years, there is a break in the murder case of Sullivan County patriarch Lowell Badger.

According to a release from Indiana State Police, William Ray Grimes was indicted by a Sullivan County Grand Jury for the murder of Lowell Badger.

The release stated that “in early 2024, Sullivan County Prosecutor Ann Mischler learned she would need to request a special prosecutor for the case.  Special Prosecuting Attorneys Rob Roberts (lead), Dave Powell, and Courtney Lawrence were appointed on the case.”

The release went on to say that “on April 17, 2024, a grand jury was impaneled in Sullivan Superior Court to review the case. After six days of evidence and testimony, the grand jury issued a True Bill (indictments) for the following offenses”:

• Murder, a Class A Felony
• Burglary, a Class A Felony
• Conspiracy to Commit Burglary, a Class A Felony

The release stated that grand jury proceedings are secret by law.  No further information regarding the proceedings will be made available.

Prosecutor Roberts provided some insight into the investigation that has been going on over the past 11 years.

“There have been five lead detectives assigned on it over the years, each of them putting a new set of eyes, each of them putting countless hours into the process,” Roberts said. “I believe there are roughly 250 people that have been interviewed and over 400 interviews that have taken place, just following up leads, investigating deep into the case and getting us to the point where we can now pursue charges.”

Badger was an 85-year-old retired Sullivan County farmer who was found deceased in his rural home on the morning of December 8, 2012.

Grimes is currently serving a 40-year prison sentence based off of a 2023 sentencing related to battery and firearm possession charges.

While Roberts did not comment on the possibility of any additional suspects in the case, he did say that while this is a step forward, it is not the end of the investigation.

We would request that if there is anybody that has information related to the death of Mr. Lowell Badger that they contact Indiana State Police so that we can continue to investigate any leads that are out there,” Roberts said in an interview with WTWO on Wednesday.

WTWO will continue to follow the investigation and the Grimes case.

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