It took a jury of Duane Longacre’s peers about 90 minutes to determine Longacre guilty on all charges in the death of Jill McCarty at her home on Plum Street in Plymouth on June 28, 2020.
He had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity on charges of murder, arson, and resisting law enforcement.
Jury instructions read aloud Thursday morning by Marshall County Superior Court No. 1 Judge Robert O. Bowen gave the jury four selections for verdicts on each count: not guilty by reason of insanity, not guilty, guilty but mentally ill, or guilty. The jury rendered guilty verdicts on felony murder, arson of a dwelling as a Level 4 Felony and resisting law enforcement as a Class A Misdemeanor. Additionally, Longacre pleaded guilty to being a habitual offender, a sentencing enhancement that carries an additional consecutive sentence of 6 to 20 years.
The trial began Monday, June 21, nearly a year after the offense, with jury selection and then testimony began Tuesday, June 22 in the morning. Testimony lasted for two days.
Jurors learned under sworn testimony from witnesses that Longacre was brushing and braiding McCarty’s hair when he grabbed a machete and hit the side of her head twice which rendered her immobile. He then used the machete to cut her neck. A pocket knife was also used to produce injuries. She was left lifeless in the bathtub with the water left running.
A witness in the house at the time of the murder, but did not see it occur, called 911 after Longacre drug McCarty’s body in the bathroom when she was finishing use of the facility. Police officers testified that Longacre would not comply with commands to leave the house and they could not gain entry into the house. They saw him running inside the house and then saw smoke. The fire department was called to the scene where they attempted to get inside and pushed open a door that was barricaded by a refrigerator. Firefighters extinguished the fire and found McCarty’s body in the bathroom. By then, officers used a taser to get Longacre to comply with police and took him into custody.
Evidence was then collected at the scene.
Jury members also heard evidence from crime scene technicians, jail officers, firefighters, a fire investigator and a forensic pathologist who presented their findings during the course of the investigation.
Defense attorneys Tom Black and Alex Hoover had the burden to prove an insanity defense. They had to prove that Longacre had a mental disease or defect and that he did not appreciate the wrongfulness of his actions at the time of the offense. A psychiatrist was necessary at this point. A court-appointed psychologist and psychiatrist met with Longacre to determine if he was sane or insane at the time of the incident. They all agreed that he had methamphetamine-induced psychosis during the time of the murder as he had been using the drug heavily in the days prior to the murder, he had slept one out 10 days before the murder, and he had delusions that McCarty was a witch and other hallucinations as a result of drug use. However, all three doctors concluded that he was sane and competent when they interviewed him in different sessions. In fact, a forensic psychologist hired by the State of Indiana interviewed him last month.
In closing arguments, Marshall County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Tami Napier said it was proven that Longacre knew was he was doing when he killed McCarty and set the house on fire to destroy evidence.
Defense Attorney Alex Hoover noted in his closing arguments that a doctor made a note that he had psychosis when evaluated in 2013 while incarcerated in the Indiana Department of Corrections. However, the doctors who testified in this trial determined that he was sane and competent.
Following closing arguments and final jury instructions, the jury entered deliberations at 10:49 a.m. ET Thursday, June 24 with guilty verdicts a short time later.
Marshall County Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Tami Napier and Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Nick Langowski commented that the State of Indiana is pleased with the verdicts.
Napier stated, “I was very pleased that the jury came back and did not buy into the insanity defense. There was just no evidence of that. He has no mental disease or defect and he absolutely appreciated the wrongfulness of his conduct on the date of the incident. That is consistent with the evidence and we are very pleased that the jury saw it the way we did.”
Langowski commented, “I’m just glad that the victim’s family has found justice and knows the truth of what happened that day and that the right person was held accountable.”
Longacre will be sentenced Thursday, July 21 at 2:30 p.m. ET in Marshall County Superior Court No. 1.
