After initially arresting one man in connection with the murder of a local Indiana woman, authorities say he was framed — and have charged another suspect with the killing.
Police in Hanover, Indiana, initially believed they had their man when they arrested 33-year-old Shawn Bailey for the April 14 murder of a local mother of two.
Wilma Robertson, 35, was found stabbed to death in her home, according to the Jefferson County Prosecutor’s Office, and Bailey was taken into custody the following day.
But now, officials say, he was framed. “New evidence that included DNA analysis” of Bailey, who hails from Louisville, Kentucky, allegedly ruled him out as a suspect, say prosecutors. The charges were dropped, and investigators turned their attention elsewhere.
AP
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Prosecutors say their investigation led them instead to another man — Nigel Thomas, 34, of Ohio — who has been accused not just of killing Robertson, but plotting to frame Bailey as well.
“Thomas then engaged in an elaborate plan to frame a man named Shawn Bailey for her death,” prosecutors said in a press release. “Thomas fabricated evidence to incriminate Shawn Bailey, including the creation of multiple social media accounts in Bailey’s name.”
“Thomas then used those accounts to send out messages to relatives of Robertson purporting to be Bailey admitting to the murder,” they added.
Thomas was arrested Friday, April 25, with a hearing scheduled once he’s extradited to Indiana. He’s been charged with murder.
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Jefferson County Prosecutor David Sutter praised investigators who refused to give up.
“The criminal justice system is ultimately a search for the truth,” Sutter said. “Multiple agencies across three states worked tirelessly to uncover the crimes of Nigel Thomas and clear Shawn Bailey.”
A GoFundMe for Wilma Robertson’s family has been set up in the wake of her murder, describing her as a devoted mother of two young children, now left without their mom.
