Convicted Prom Night Murderer denied a retrial

 

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. -- There's a new update in the decades-long Prom Night Murders case.

Jeff Pelley, who was convicted of killing his father, stepmother, and two of his sisters with a 20-gauge shotgun in 1989, has been denied a retrial.

Prosecutors argued that his motive was to kill his family so he could go to the prom that night, though Pelley wasn't convicted until 2006.

Judge Stephanie Steele made the ruling over the weekend to deny his petition for a retrial, despite Pelley's claims of an unfair trial.

For over 30 years, Pelley has maintained his innocence.

In his hearing two years ago, Pelley's lawyers questioned whether prosecutors ignored information or allowed key evidence to be mishandled and still used in court during his 2006 trial.

In a 72-page petition, Pelley and his defense claimed there were several issues that led to an unfair trial: including ineffective counsel, mishandled evidence, and the 13 years between the 1989 murders in Lakeville and Pelley first facing charges in 2002.

Specifically, arguing there is a lack of forensic evidence that directly ties Jeff Pelley to the gruesome murders.

Plus, it was revealed a potential witness was never allowed to testify.

A local saleswoman claimed just days before the murders, Bob Pelley, Jeff's father, admitted to a past working with the mob.

She told investigators that Bob Pelley believed the mob would murder his family.

A recording of a 2003 interview with this saleswoman was supposedly never shared with Pelley's defense, and she never testified her alleged conversation, which could have made a significant impact on the verdict.

Pelley is still sitting behind bars serving his 160-year sentence for four counts of murder.