Dana Shepherd sentenced to 45 years for 1993 murder of Carmen Van Huss
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A man who raped, stabbed and killed a 19-year-old woman in Indianapolis more than 30 years ago was sentenced to 45 years in prison Friday, closing a decades-long unsolved case.
Dana Shepherd, 53, was sentenced to 45 years in prison on Friday after signing a plea deal last month admitting to killing Carmen Van Huss, local media reported, ending a decades-long unsolved case.
“While no amount of time can heal the unimaginable loss endured by Carmen’s family, we are grateful to obtain a murder conviction more than 30 years after this heinous crime,” Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement. he said. “Our hope is that this decision will bring some measure of justice and peace to their loved ones after three decades of waiting for answers.”
Van Huss was killed in 1993, when she was 19, after being raped and stabbed 61 times by a man who broke into her home. FOX 59 reported.
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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 unsolved case. (FOX 59)
According to media, Van Huss’ body was found by his father, and police said he was lying in a large pool of blood. Police said there were signs of a struggle, including an overturned table and objects scattered around.
More than 30 years after the murder, Missouri police arrested Shepherd and used deadly force and extradited him to Indianapolis to face rape and murder charges, the report said.
Shepherd, who was 20 at the time of the murder, was not connected to the investigation until DNA testing linked him to the case.
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19-year-old Carmen Van Huss was raped and stabbed to death in her Indianapolis apartment in 1993. (FOX 59)
Shepherd was arrested in Columbia, Missouri, in August 2024 and, after being extradited to Indianapolis, was scheduled to appear in court next week, pending a plea deal Tuesday in which Shepherd pleaded guilty to the murder charge. Additional charges were dismissed.
FOX 59 reports Shepherd had a criminal history before committing the murder, including charges of battery and public intoxication in Indiana. After 1993, he was also charged with theft, disturbing the peace and driving without a license in Missouri.
The Van Huss family released a statement reacting to the sentence.
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Dana Shepherd was sentenced to 45 years in prison for the rape and murder of 19-year-old Carmen Van Huss in 1993.
“While this plea agreement was not our first choice, we are grateful that after 33 years, the man responsible for Carmen’s brutal rape and murder has finally been held accountable,” the family said.
“The perpetrator was able to live a normal life for decades after taking Carmen and our family from her. Nothing can undo this loss or undo the injustice of her living free for so long, but we are grateful that the truth has finally come to light and she has not escaped justice.”
