Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Evansville, IN: Shooting suspect faces murder charge in teen's death

By Mark Wilson

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Joshua Fairley, previously identified by Evansville police as a suspect in the June 24 shooting death of 16-year-old Haley Green, has been charged with her murder and is being held in the Vanderburgh County Jail on a $750,000 cash only bond.

Fairley, 30, was arrested Monday upon his release from Wishard Hospital in Indianapolis where he was being treated for an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

He appeared Tuesday afternoon by video from the jail before Vanderburgh Circuit Court Magistrate Kelli Fink, who found probable cause to charge Fairley with murder.

He is scheduled to return to court Friday for formal charging.

Members of Green's family attended Tuesday's hearing but declined to be interviewed.

Police reports indicate the shooting may have stemmed from an altercation at Fairly's home, 2120 W. Virginia St. where police found Green dead.

According to an affidavit supporting the charge, Fairley told investigators that Green "found him at his residence with another female and became angry. Fairley stated the last thing he remembered was holding (Green) down on the floor so his female friend could leave the house. Fairley stated he had no other recollection" of the incident.

Green, who had a Mount Vernon address, did not live at the Virginia Street residence.

The other female involved called police on the same day the shooting was discovered, said Sgt. Larry Nelson, and when interviewed she gave the same version of events as Fairley. She was not injured.

Police said Green suffered a gunshot wound to the top right side of her head from a Kel Tec 9 mm semi-automatic handgun. She was found by officers with a sword on her lap. The sword was still in its sheath, officers said.

Blood found on the sword's handle has not been identified, Nelson said.

According to the affidavit, Evansville police went to the Virginia Street home at 5 p.m. June 24 after a man identified by police as Jeff Phillips called to report he had gone to the home, looked in the front of the house and saw his girlfriend's niece, Green, lying in a pool of blood.

Officers found Fairley in the bathroom with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Police said he had powder burns under his chin and an exit wound atop his head.

Nelson said Tuesday that investigators believe Fairley may have shot himself twice.

Four spent 9 mm shell casings were found in the living room of the house. Green's fingerprints were found on a broken window of the bedroom.

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