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US murder rate falls to 100-year low in 2025
Fox News correspondent Rebekah Castor recently brought attention to a significant development on ‘Fox & Friends Weekend,’ detailing the FBI’s successful capture of former Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding and alleged murderer Alejandro Rosales Castillo.
In a landmark legal conclusion, a man convicted of raping and brutally murdering a 19-year-old woman from Indianapolis over three decades ago has been sentenced to 45 years in prison. This sentence finally closes a cold case that has haunted the community for years.
Last month, Dana Shepherd, now 53, admitted to the murder of Carmen Van Huss by entering a plea deal, according to local reports. This resolution brings an end to a case that had remained unsolved for decades.
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears expressed the bittersweet nature of this legal victory, stating, “While no passage of time can ever heal the unimaginable loss Carmen’s family has endured, we are grateful to secure a murder conviction more than 30 years after this heinous crime.” He added that the aim is to offer some semblance of justice and peace to Carmen’s family after their long wait for answers.
Van Huss’s tragic death occurred in 1993 when she was just 19. She was assaulted and stabbed 61 times by an intruder in her apartment, a crime that shocked the community and was reported by FOX 59.
Dana Shepherd was sentenced to 45 years in prison in connection with the 1993 rape and murder of 19-year-old Carmen Van Huss, closing a decades-old cold case. (FOX 59)
According to the outlet, Van Huss’ body was found by her father, and police said she was lying in a large pool of blood. There were signs of a struggle, police said, including a knocked over table and scattered objects.
More than 30 years after the killing, Missouri police arrested Shepherd and extradited him to Indianapolis to face charges of murder and rape with deadly force, the outlet said.
Shepherd — who was 20 years old at the time of the murder — wasn’t connected to the investigation until DNA testing tied him to the case.
Carmen Van Huss, 19, was raped and stabbed to death in her Indianapolis apartment in 1993. (FOX 59)
Shepherd was arrested in August 2024 in Columbia, Missouri, and after being extradited to Indianapolis, was scheduled to go to trial next week until a plea agreement was filed Tuesday, where Shepherd admitted to the murder charge. The additional charges were dismissed.
FOX 59 reported that Shepherd had a criminal history in Indiana before committing the murder, including charges for battery and public intoxication. After 1993, he was also charged in Missouri with stealing, disturbing the peace and driving without a license.
The Van Huss family released a statement reacting to the sentencing.
Dana Shepherd was sentenced to 45 years in prison for the 1993 rape and murder of 19-year-old Carmen Van Huss.
“While this plea deal was not our first choice, we are grateful that after 33 years the man responsible for Carmen’s brutal rape and murder is finally being held accountable,” the family stated.
“For decades, the perpetrator was able to live a normal life after taking that right away from Carmen and from our family. Nothing can undo that loss or erase the injustice of him living freely for so long, but we are thankful that the truth has finally come to light and that he has not escaped justice.”