"So the way you said that was a little bit confusing. Can you kind of explain, like, the family dynamic to me?" — Britt
"But the lead detective was sure. Something was still wrong here." — Britt
"And that was it. For many more years, nothing happened." — Britt
This episode of Crime Junkie delves into the harrowing 1989 murder of the Pelley family in Lakeville, Indiana. Pastor Bob Pelley, his wife Don, and her two young daughters, Janelle and Jolene, were found brutally murdered in their parsonage home. The crime scene presented several puzzling elements: no forced entry, nothing of value stolen, and the absence of the murder weapon, a shotgun, which was believed to have been kept in Bob Pelley's bedroom.
The initial investigation quickly focused on Jeff Pelley, Bob's 17-year-old son, who had attended prom the night before the murders. While Jeff claimed a normal day and a timeline that seemed to place him away from the house during the estimated time of death, investigators found his demeanor suspicious and noted inconsistencies in his account regarding his father's permission for him to use his car and attend prom activities. Despite a lack of definitive forensic evidence tying Jeff directly to the murders, police strongly suspected his involvement, reportedly not collecting fingerprints at the scene under the assumption that Jeff's would be present.
After years of being an unsolved case, Jeff Pelley was arrested in 2002 for the murders and, after a trial in 2006, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. The prosecution argued that Jeff meticulously cleaned up the scene, disposed of the weapon and casings, and then proceeded with his prom night activities. However, the episode also touches upon lingering doubts, Jeff's continued claims of innocence, and the introduction of new investigative work by "Counterclock" that suggests unexplored aspects of Bob Pelley's past and potential alternative theories, leaving the true resolution of this tragedy open to interpretation.