The Murders of Paula Anderson, Mary Blake, and Kristine Rowan

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER_00] I'm Anya Kane, and today we're going to talk about a horrific triple homicide via arson that occurred in Bloomington, Indiana. Content warning, this episode contains discussion of rape as well as murder. So, this is a story actually a number of listeners have asked us to cover.

[00:00:23] [SPEAKER_00] And the more you look into it, the more you understand why this has certainly gripped people in the area, in Bloomington, Indiana, and beyond. Because it is the kind of crime that I think is, you know, the stuff of nightmares. And when I learned about it, I really wanted to know more about what happened and why this happened.

[00:00:54] [SPEAKER_00] And I don't know if I know much about why this happened at this point, even having looked through everything I've looked through. But, you know, it's, I'm going to share with everybody what we've learned about this case. It's really horrific. I do, you know, even more so than normal. It involves just a really heinous crime. So, just be aware.

[00:01:19] [SPEAKER_01] Rape and murder, right?

[00:01:21] [SPEAKER_00] Yeah. And just, you know, just be aware of that. So, before we continue. But anyways, we'll get into it. But this is, we're going to be covering the triple homicide of Paula Anderson, Mary Blake, and Kristine Rowan. And this crime occurred in Monroe County. And specifically in Bloomington. And so we're going to be talking about it now. My name is Anya Kane. I'm a journalist.

[00:01:45] [SPEAKER_01] And I'm Kevin Greenlee. I'm an attorney. And this is The Murder Sheet. We're a true crime podcast focused on original reporting, interviews, and deep dives into murder cases. We're The Murder Sheet.

[00:01:58] [SPEAKER_00] And this is The Murders of Paula Anderson, Mary Blake, and Kristine Rowan.

[00:02:03] [SPEAKER_00] So, the first thing we're going to read through and sort of learn about this crime is a probable cause affidavit written by Dylan Friend on January 20th, 2026.

[00:03:01] [SPEAKER_00] This is an initial probable cause affidavit. But as we'll find out later, some of these things unfortunately changed over time. And we'll be discussing that. But this is the initial report as far as the PCA goes.

[00:03:17] [SPEAKER_00] I, Detective Dylan Friend with the Monroe County Sheriff's Office under penalty of perjury, state that on or about January 18th, 2026, Brayden R. Blake committed a criminal offense, murder a level one felony, murder a level one felony, arson a level two felony, arson a level two felony. Such belief is based on the following information.

[00:03:41] [SPEAKER_00] On January 18th, 2026, at 2.40 a.m., Monroe County Central Dispatch received a 911 call for service from telephone number blank. I used investigative tools to look up the phone number, which shows as being the phone number for victim one. I requested the recorded 911 call and received it.

[00:04:03] [SPEAKER_00] The 911 call is muffled, and a female appealers to be speaking in distress about someone pouring gasoline around the house and says the words, kill me. The female then screams, and the line goes quiet for a couple of minutes before another female gets on the line to speak with the dispatcher. This female identifies herself as Anna Schell, who resides at blank. Miss Schell then begins to speak with the dispatcher. She states that her neighbor's house on Anderson Road is on fire.

[00:04:31] [SPEAKER_00] Miss Schell indicates on the phone that victim one is covered in blood. She also relays that there are three other people inside of the burning home. Christine Rowan, Gabriella Anderson, and Mary Blake. Victim one and Miss Schell make reference to a male being involved, and the dispatcher asks, did this male start the fire? You can hear victim one in the background state yes, and indicated his name was Brayden Blake. Victim one can be heard in the background stating something to the effect of he set the house on fire and kill everyone.

[00:05:00] [SPEAKER_00] Victim one also relays to Miss Schell that she was raped. I later spoke with Monroe County Central Dispatch, who indicated the 911 recording I received was two 911 calls that were merged together for one recording. When deputies arrived on the scene, the home on Anderson Road was actively on fire. A black Ford Edge SUV registered to Brayden Blake had been driven through the garage door and into the garage.

[00:05:24] [SPEAKER_00] Sergeant Deandra Moxley located a female covered in blood with severe burn injuries standing outside of the garage. Sergeant Moxley asked her where the male party went, and she pointed to the east. This female was identified as Gabriella Anderson. The fire department moved two victims from inside of the home, Mary Blake and Christine Rowan. Ms. Rowan was deceased, and Ms. Blake was transported to IU Health Bloomington and later determined to be deceased.

[00:05:49] [SPEAKER_00] Deputies reported victim one was located at the address of blank as previously written, the home of neighbor Anna Schell. Victim one had significant burn injuries and lacerations on her body. While being transported to the hospital by Lifeline Ambulance Service, victim one made statements to EMS worker Jerrica Hale Pinsley. Detective Rushing later interviewed Ms. Hale Pinsley. Ms. Hale Pinsley indicated that victim one was severely burned.

[00:06:16] [SPEAKER_00] She stated that victim one told her that Blake poured gasoline on them and lit them on fire. Ms. Hale Pinsley stated that she clarified on who Blake was. She said victim one told her that she takes care of Blake's grandmother, Mary Blake, and that Blake lives with them. Ms. Hale Pinsley also reported that victim one told her she was sexually assaulted. Deputies utilized a tracking canine and drone to search for the male. Approximately 250 yards behind the house, deputies located a male with significant burn injuries.

[00:06:46] [SPEAKER_00] This male was identified as Braden Richard Blake. I applied for and was granted a search warrant by the Honorable Judge Darcy Fawcett for the address on Anderson Road. During the execution of the search warrant, Monroe Fire District Deputy Chief Stephen Cooper, Coover rather, assisted the Monroe County Sheriff's Office with this investigation. Deputy Chief Coover located a plastic diesel can containing a liquid consistent with the odor of gasoline near the dining area of the home.

[00:07:16] [SPEAKER_00] He also reported he located an area near the reclining chair in the living room that had an odor consistent with the smell of gasoline. I was also granted search warrants for three separate parcels of land behind the address of Anderson Road by the Honorable Judge Darcy Fawcett on January 18, 2026. Detectives searched those parcels of land and were able to track what appeared to be a blood trail from near the residence to a heavily wooded area where deputies had found Braden Blake.

[00:07:42] [SPEAKER_00] Detective Ripley and Rushing returned to the address of blank and interviewed Anna and Paul Schell. Michelle stated she opened the door and found victim one lying on the ground on her porch. She said victim one told her Braden had set fire to the house. Michelle further stated the victim one told her Braden threatened her and told her if she didn't have sex with him, he was going to burn down the house. Michelle said the victim one reported to her that Braden dumped gasoline all over the house.

[00:08:09] [SPEAKER_00] Michelle stated the victim one had ripped clothing, including the back of her shorts being ripped. She said the victim one kept telling her that he raped her. Mary C. Blake, who was born on October 19th, 1951, was transported from the scene to the hospital and declared deceased shortly after. Christine Rowan, born November 4th, 1992, was pronounced dead at the scene. Gabriella Anderson was transported from the scene to the hospital due to significant injuries and burns.

[00:08:46] [SPEAKER_00] Significant trauma to her body via laceration marks that appeared to be from an edged weapon. Given the medical status of both victim one and Gabriella Anderson, I have been unable to interview them regarding this investigation. Both victim one and Gabriella Anderson are presently being treated at Ashkenazi Health for significant burn injuries. Both subjects have been intubated. Brayden Blake is also being treated for significant burn injuries. Given his medical status, I have been unable to interview him. Mary Blake was a disabled person who used a wheelchair for mobility.

[00:09:16] [SPEAKER_00] A family member described her as bedridden and not mobile at all. Christine Rowan was a disabled person who was bedridden. I spoke with her in-home health nurse, Billy Clark, on January 19th, 2026. Ms. Clark stated that Ms. Rowan was born with spinal muscular atrophy, a progressive disease, and cerebral palsy. She stated that Ms. Rowan couldn't move and had her hips surgically removed.

[00:09:41] [SPEAKER_00] On January 19th, 2026, I spoke with Monroe Fire Protection District Deputy Chief Cooper. He confirmed to me that he believed the cause of the fire at the residence listed in this affidavit was caused by arson. On January 19th, 2026, autopsies were conducted on Mary Blake and Christine Rowan by forensic pathologist Bemdeli Adegabo at Terre Haute Regional Hospital.

[00:10:07] [SPEAKER_00] Dr. Adegabo ruled the cause of death for Mary Blake as thermal injuries with inhalation, a product of combustion, and the manner of death as homicide. He ruled the cause of death for Christine Rowan as thermal injuries with smoke exposure and inhalation of products of combustion, and the manner of death as homicide. This investigation is still ongoing and new information and evidence is being discovered. The allegations of sexual and physical assault to victim one are also still under investigation.

[00:10:34] [SPEAKER_00] New affidavits and information may be filed at a later time. And that concludes this. So those initial charges are that count one, Braden Richard Blake did knowingly or intentionally kill Mary Catherine Blake, that he did knowingly or intentionally kill Christine Rowan,

[00:10:56] [SPEAKER_00] that count three would be that he did by means of fire knowingly damage the dwelling of victim one, and that resulted in serious bodily injury to her, and that he did by means of fire knowingly damage the dwelling of Gabriella Anderson, and that resulted in serious bodily injury to her. So this story is already horrific. It gets worse.

[00:11:25] [SPEAKER_00] Victim one was Paula Anderson. She was 53 years old. She passed away from her injuries. She died from her injuries on February 4th, 2026. So she did not survive these injuries, ultimately, even though she very heroically raced to save the others in the house by getting help. Unfortunately, she later passed away.

[00:11:47] [SPEAKER_00] So that has resulted in another charge being murder that he did knowingly or intentionally kill Paula Anderson. Let's talk about the people in this house a little bit more for a moment, because this was something where sort of, you know, the relationships to one another, I think, are important to explore here. My understanding is that the home itself on Anderson Road was owned by Mary Blake.

[00:12:17] [SPEAKER_00] Mary Blake was an elderly woman. She was 74. And she was suffering from brain cancer. So to give you a little description of this home, you know, you think Bloomington. I think Indiana University. It's a beautiful campus. I think the downtown area, it's always full of students, things like that.

[00:12:38] [SPEAKER_00] But this home in Bloomington in Monroe County, it's kind of out more on a, I would say, like a rural area, more like a rural road, kind of near a forested area. It's not, it's like kind of out there. Do you know what I'm saying? I know what you're saying. And you went to IU, so you're familiar. Like parts of Bloomington are like that. You know, they're more out in the...

[00:13:03] [SPEAKER_01] More rural.

[00:13:04] [SPEAKER_00] More rural. So Mary Blake had, my understanding is she had been married to a man for many years, Daniel Blake. And he, or known as Danny, he passed away. She had worked for years as a bus driver for the Monroe County Community School Corporation.

[00:13:29] [SPEAKER_00] And she had, I believe, three sons and many, many grandchildren. And she, you know, again, she seems like she was very, by her obituary, a beloved person. But she was suffering from the brain cancer and therefore needed help around the house.

[00:13:57] [SPEAKER_00] And she was, I believe, the person who was essentially taking care of her in this home. Right? Right. So Paula was a live-in caregiver, caretaker. And that was the arrangement. And in addition to that, Christine Rowan was Paula's daughter. Christine was only 33. And as we mentioned, she was disabled.

[00:14:27] [SPEAKER_00] And pretty severely. In that, you know, she was not, as her family said, she was not mobile. So this is a situation where it seems that there was, you know, almost an arrangement of Paula is Mary's live-in caregiver. And then her daughter also gets to live there. And it's like this kind of arrangement they have together. We stay busy with the podcast. So I like my wardrobe to stay comfortable, easy, and intentional.

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[00:16:26] [SPEAKER_00] And one of the things that devasted... Well, I'll say this. And then Gabriella, the other victim, who was only 18 when she suffered this horrible, horrible situation, she was Paula's... Another daughter of Paula's, so she would have had reason to be in the house for that reason. So, one of the things that really upsets me about this case, I guess I should disclose this on a personal level,

[00:16:53] [SPEAKER_00] but, like, I know personally how hard it is to... I mean, like, listen, I love Indiana, right? I love Indiana. But Indiana is not great for people, in my view, with, you know, severe disabilities. It's not a good place. It's not a place that gives, I believe, the resources that the most vulnerable people in our society deserve in order to live happily and healthily.

[00:17:20] [SPEAKER_00] I think it basically looks at the families of those individuals and says, oh, good luck with that. And I think that's disgusting. And so I know how hard it is to arrange these sort of situations where you can have caregiving. In the case of Mary Blake, it's because she developed cancer as an elderly woman. In the case of Christine Rowan, it was something she was born with and was always going to struggle with.

[00:17:42] [SPEAKER_00] I know how hard and how expensive and how many compromisings and how much scraping you have to do just to get, like, a basic, humane situation set up in this state. And, you know, it sounds like they may have had that going here or at the very least something close to it.

[00:18:01] [SPEAKER_00] And the fact that this happened to someone dealing with that kind of disability, to the family of someone dealing with that, and to an elderly woman dealing with her cancer. Like, you can't pick a more vulnerable group of people to pick on here.

[00:18:23] [SPEAKER_00] And it just makes me, yeah, really angry, I guess is the way to say it. So we talked a little bit about the motive here, and that was mentioned in the probable cause affidavit. And what the probable cause affidavit indicates, and then to go further into the family ties.

[00:18:47] [SPEAKER_00] So you have the Anderson side of things, and that's Paula and her daughters, one of whom has cerebral palsy, Christine. And then Mary Blake, the owner of the home, she has brain cancer. She's an elderly woman. Her grandson is the accused here. Her grandson is Brayden Richard Blake. And Brayden Richard Blake is the man accused of doing this. He's 28 years old, is my understanding.

[00:19:18] [SPEAKER_00] And he, as they say in the PCA, he's living with them. We'll get more into his relationship with his grandmother later, because I was able to uncover some things looking through the documents. But he is, he's living with them. And then on this evening, he rapes or is alleged to have raped Paula Anderson, you know, after demanding sex from her, after possibly attacking her with an edged weapon.

[00:19:48] [SPEAKER_00] And then proceeds to ram his car into the home, get out, douse everybody with gasoline and set the place on fire. Is that your reading of the motive here?

[00:20:02] [SPEAKER_01] That is my reading of the motive.

[00:20:04] [SPEAKER_00] So the motive was. Basically. I don't know, sexual assault and then either trying to cover that up or. Or or whatever. I mean, like the thing is, like when we're trying to find like, well, why would someone do this? It's like, who knows? You know, I mean, I mean, what do you think about that?

[00:20:26] [SPEAKER_01] Yeah, it's it's horrifying. It's just horrifying. And it's one of those situations where there is no reason to could explain this.

[00:20:36] [SPEAKER_00] No, it doesn't make any sense. So the initial prosecuting attorney on this was Erica Oliphant. And I think Chris Pierce has also been filing into it there. They not not too long ago.

[00:20:51] [SPEAKER_00] They they filed in a notice to of intent to seek life imprisonment without a parole without parole and saying, quote, the crime of murder is charged in counts one through six of the amended information filed herein was committed by the defendant. And Braden Richard Blake with with the following aggravating circumstances exist, which justify the imposition of life imprisonment without parole.

[00:21:16] [SPEAKER_00] One, Braden Richard Blake committed murder by intentionally killing the victims while committing or attempting to commit arson to Braden Richard Blake committed another murder at any time, regardless of whether the defendant has been convicted of that other murder. Three, Braden Richard Blake burned the victims while the victims were alive as set.

[00:21:34] [SPEAKER_00] And then, quote, if the defendant is convicted of at least one of any of the murder accounts charged in this cause, the state intends to seek life imprisonment without parole by proving at least one of the aggravating circumstances. And that's signed by deputy prosecuting attorney attorney Chris Pierce. And that was.

[00:21:56] [SPEAKER_00] I hereby certify that the state of Indiana will serve a copy of this motion to amend on Braden Blake during his initial hearing in this cause on April 13th, 2026. So what they're saying here, aggravating circumstances. Do you want to explain what aggravating circumstances are in a case like this?

[00:22:11] [SPEAKER_01] An aggravating circumstance is something that makes the offense worse, something that makes the person who committed the offense deserving of more serious punishment. If the offense is committed with a gun, for instance, that would be considered an aggravating circumstances in most cases.

[00:22:33] [SPEAKER_00] So in this, it seems that aggravating circumstances would be arson using, you know, basically using arson to murder people would be aggravating, which makes sense because arson is horrifying. And another one is that Paula Anderson died of her injuries later. So while facing, I guess, murder charges, another victim dies. So that they say that qualifies, even though he hadn't been convicted yet.

[00:23:02] [SPEAKER_00] And then the other one would be he burned them while they were still alive. This is not like a post-mortem arson to cover up a crime. He's setting living human beings on fire. Which. That's almost as bad as you can get, in my view.

[00:23:19] [SPEAKER_01] Yeah, I agree.

[00:23:19] [SPEAKER_00] So let's go back and figure out what we can about Brayden Blake and who this 28-year-old man is. It's tempting to write people like this off as monsters because what they've done is so monstrous.

[00:23:41] [SPEAKER_00] And in a way, I'm kind of tempted by the simplicity of that because it's like, you know, you almost like revoke your human card when you set your own grandmother, a disabled woman and a woman that you were trying to rape on fire to kill them. Like. Why would the rest of us want to be associated with that?

[00:24:00] [SPEAKER_00] But at the same time, I think it is important to look at people's backgrounds and the choices they've made and see, was there any indication that this was going to happen? Could this have been stopped at any point? Was it inevitable? You know, are we seeing things now with the benefit of hindsight that look different? Was the system too easygoing on this person? I think those are relevant questions.

[00:24:31] [SPEAKER_00] And I think what I found kind of tells an interesting story. I talked a little bit about how there are so few resources for families of disabled people and disabled people themselves. It feels like sometimes in Indiana, in my personal view, and they're they're kind of skimpy and doled out very slowly.

[00:24:58] [SPEAKER_00] And if you don't fit into some kind of cookie cutter box, you know, good luck to you. And I think that's certainly true. And I think that may also be true of people dealing with some other issues that we may look at here. But I think the question is, like, what do you do about those people at some point?

[00:25:18] [SPEAKER_00] So I found with Brayden Blake, interestingly enough, this was filed on March 23rd, 2016, rather. And it was Dan Blake, who again was Mary's husband, as the plaintiff and Brayden as the defendant. And the home in question for both of them was listed as this Anderson Road address that he later set on fire.

[00:25:46] [SPEAKER_00] Interestingly enough, on the plaintiff side, you have Dan Blake and you also have the word emergency written on it. But you also have it's Dan and Mary Blake originally. And then and Mary is crossed out. I don't know what that means, whether Dan whether Mary Blake was originally filing into this, but then she didn't want to. Or if there was some kind of other technical reason why they would only want one person, I don't know.

[00:26:15] [SPEAKER_00] But that is what I'm looking at here. And it's, quote, statement of claim for eviction plus attorney fees. Nothing's listed for attorney fees. Plus court cost of one hundred and twenty one dollars. And it says, quote, defendant 18 years old must leave property due to property damage, bad behavior and poor judgment and lack of respect to plaintiff. Sheriff has report and pictures of damage. And then it's signed by Dan Blake.

[00:26:45] [SPEAKER_00] And the next instructions are to go to a hearing on April 1st, 2016. So you have these grandparents. He's their grandson. He's living with them. We'll go into this more later. But they effectively raised him. And they are asking for him to be evicted because he is there's a breakdown in the relationship. There's lack of respect.

[00:27:10] [SPEAKER_00] And there seems to be some kind of violent lashing out that is destroying property, at least. And Kevin, like this is I feel like unfortunately a lot of families find themselves in this situation. You have a troubled young person, a troubled child, a troubled young adult, a troubled man in general. And I say man because this certainly happens with women, too. I mean, this can happen with young women and whatever. They can be the ones doing this.

[00:27:40] [SPEAKER_00] But to me, the more dangerous ones statistically are going to be the young men. They're going to be the ones who come back and kill your family, kill their own family. Like that's just that's what the numbers tell us. I'm not saying I'm not saying you can't get into this with women, too. I'm not letting women off the hook. Absolutely. But. Just when we look at the numbers, it's usually going to be the men who are reacting the most violently. So, I mean, that's something you and I talk about a lot.

[00:28:09] [SPEAKER_00] Is that fair to say?

[00:28:10] [SPEAKER_01] Yeah, we do talk about that a lot.

[00:28:12] [SPEAKER_00] You know, you know, I mean, and like it's like what are people supposed to do in this situation?

[00:28:18] [SPEAKER_01] Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot of options. And Indiana is not great in that. I'm not sure if there is anywhere that is really good at handling some of these issues.

[00:28:27] [SPEAKER_00] No, I don't think there is. I think right now, again, as on a national level, it's sort of like it's your problem. You know, it's the family's problem, you know, until it becomes a crime. People are understandably reluctant to get police involved on their own troubled family members because they have love for those family members or they have. Oh, this is just going to make it worse and we're going to break his trust and all this stuff.

[00:28:54] [SPEAKER_00] And you're like the fact that these folks were filing an eviction to me tells me it had to get that bad. This is a couple who took this child into their homes from a young age to care for him. And it had to get pretty bad, I think, for them to evict. This is what is, you know, this that Dan Blake writes in the emergency eviction notice, quote,

[00:29:39] [SPEAKER_00] That explains the extent of damage. And you might be saying school bus. The reason is because Mary was a school bus driver. So he's actually attacking the school bus that she's using, you know, as her job. So this is a situation where things are getting out of control. They ask for this relief and they're trying to get him evicted.

[00:30:04] [SPEAKER_00] And from there, I guess things just kind of keep keep happening with Brayden. The next time he pops up, he is facing this was from this was a probable cause evict for from November 27, 2017. So, you know, the following year intimidation where threat is to commit forcible felony resisting law enforcement.

[00:30:33] [SPEAKER_00] Illegal consumption of an alcohol beverage. And this is the I'll read part of the PCA. On November 27, 2017, I, Deputy James Qualters, was dispatched to a welfare check at the address of Anderson Road, Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana. Central Dispatch advised they had received a 911 hang up call. On callback, Central Dispatch advised that a subject calling in stated that his sister needed to speak with us and later stated, I don't need you.

[00:31:01] [SPEAKER_00] Upon arrival to the address, I observed a male who I knew to be a Brayden Blake from prior involvements. Brayden was sitting in front of the front door to Anderson Road address and was shirtless and appeared to be under the influence. While speaking with Brayden, he advised that he was in fact drunk, which was displayed by Brayden's slurred speech. Brayden's sister, who was also on the scene, advised that Brayden had consumed eight 42-ounce beers.

[00:31:25] [SPEAKER_00] Brayden then took the Magnum beer bottle that was next to him and finished the rest of the beer and threw it into the landscaping bed outside the house. Brayden advised that he was not 21 years of age and provided his date of birth. I then retrieved my portable breath test and administered it to Brayden and it registered a .204. Given Brayden's level of intoxication and inability to sit in the upright position, I requested medical personnel to be dispatched to my location to evaluate Brayden.

[00:31:54] [SPEAKER_00] Some things that stand out to me already. They're called out to the same house that he later burns down. And notice they're already familiar with him, right?

[00:32:05] [SPEAKER_01] Yes, that's very clear.

[00:32:06] [SPEAKER_00] So this has already been an issue. And his sister is there. Again, the Blakes took both of their grandchildren in due to some things that we'll get into later. But when medical personnel get there, this is how Brayden reacts. He, quote, began to get very angry and stated that he would not leave. Brayden was very agitated that we were at his residence and told us to leave.

[00:32:33] [SPEAKER_00] Sergeant Brown and I tried to help calm Brayden by speaking with him and informing him that medical personnel needed to evaluate him for us to leave. Brayden eventually retreated back into the home and began to cause damage within the home. The ambulance crew arrived and Sergeant Brown began speaking with Brayden through the window and was able to coax Brayden into letting medical personnel examine him for the consumption of alcohol and the injuries he had sustained after damaging items inside the home.

[00:33:00] [SPEAKER_00] Brayden finally exited the home and began to allow medical personnel to examine his injuries. While medical personnel were examining Brayden, he became very angry with one of the medical officials and stood up and began to yell directly at the medical official, asking him why he was smiling and if he thought it was funny. Brayden then began to walk towards the medical official, who was later identified as Terry Bunton, and continued to be aggressive and yell. I then grabbed Brayden's left arm and tried to restrain him from going after Terry.

[00:33:27] [SPEAKER_00] Sergeant Brown and I began giving verbal commands to Brayden and he was non-compliant. Braden stated to Terry, I'm going to kill that N-word. And also stated to Terry, I will shoot you in the fucking face. Brayden used his right hand, which was free, and pushed Sergeant Brown and used his right hand to push me away while advancing toward Terry in an agitated state. Sergeant Brown deployed his taser and Brayden was taken into custody.

[00:33:53] [SPEAKER_00] And in that situation, Brayden was booked into the Monroe County Jail. Ultimately, my understanding is that that case was dismissed on January 31st, 2018. And I think there was some kind of plea deal worked out in that situation.

[00:34:16] [SPEAKER_00] So he was also on November 29th, 2018, he was placed under supervision on day reporting and then removed from that on January 31st, 2018. And he ultimately owed $66 to the probation department for that whole situation.

[00:34:35] [SPEAKER_01] That must have been a typo in the original document when it comes to the year, because it says he was placed under supervision in November of 2018 and he was removed in January of 2018.

[00:34:48] [SPEAKER_00] Oh, yeah, they didn't go back in time. So I guess that was 2017 for the first date. But yeah, that is a typo. So there's there's that situation. Now let's go into his burglary.

[00:34:57] [SPEAKER_01] Yes.

[00:34:57] [SPEAKER_00] This is from Officer Jordan M. Hosler of the Bloomington Police Department. And this is from an incident for March 1st, 2018. Quote, at approximately 256 hours, I self-dispatched to 2700 North Walnut Street, Speedway North, in reference to an active alarm.

[00:35:22] [SPEAKER_00] The suspect was described as a male wearing a black jacket, gray pants with a red tote bag and had a hood over his head. Dispatch noted that the male was heavyset and was wearing blue gloves and a jacket that had white stripes on the sleeves. Officer W. Keaton advised that he had located a male in our area. He was located just to the southeast of our location through a small wood line.

[00:35:45] [SPEAKER_00] Officer Keaton stated that the male appeared to be very sweaty, nervous, and shortly after he stated the male was located, was the suspect in my investigation. I then drove to Officer Keaton's location. He stated that the subject had admitted to being the one who threw a rock at the window in an attempt to get beer from the location. Brayden R. Blake had already been advised of his Miranda warning. Brayden R. Blake stated that he had walked from this location, stood near the shed for a little bit before he walked to the east side of the building,

[00:36:14] [SPEAKER_00] front door of the business, and threw a rock in an attempt to break the front glass. When asked, Brayden stated that he already had the rock with him to break out the glass. At this time, I was advised that officers had located gloves and a beanie hat in the wood line between our locations and the gas station. Along with those items were shoe prints that were consistent with the shoes Brayden was wearing on tonight's date. It should also be noted that Brayden had fresh mud on the bottoms of his shoes and the sides. Okay. Okay.

[00:36:43] [SPEAKER_00] So that's, he's breaking into a business in order to steal beer, apparently. And then, so he gets into trouble with that. So around that charge, my understanding, because that was in early March,

[00:37:03] [SPEAKER_00] on March 19th, 2018, there's a correspondence from Dan and Mary Blake, Brayden's grandparents. There's a handwritten note that appears and it says, Honorable Judge Dietkoff, if you would be so kind to read our letter to Judge Harper,

[00:37:28] [SPEAKER_00] I can't really read the handwriting, empowers to be, please help us, if possible, to not let Brayden to take the paths of his parents, Brian Blake and Bershawn Woodson Connor. I have called everywhere to get him help with his mental issues. No beds or the cost is above our reach or they don't accept his insurance.

[00:37:55] [SPEAKER_00] Um, thank you, Dan and Mary Blake. P.S. You have to be firm with him and let him know you are the boss and in control of his outcome. What do you make of that?

[00:38:11] [SPEAKER_01] Uh, it's heartbreaking because you can tell that they really care about this young man. And it is apparent they have tried to find help for him. And as you indicated, the help just wasn't there. It's very hard to find help for a relative who has some of these issues. But they are trying. It is not like this young man did not have people in his life who cared about him.

[00:38:40] [SPEAKER_00] He had better than he deserved. And I'm going to tell you something. He's having a lot of addiction issues. And we'll get into the reasons why in a moment. The reasons why he was set up for not, he was not set up for success in life. Actually, he was really done a disservice by his parents. So that's not on him, right? He didn't ask to be born. But this is for anyone dealing with this or whatever.

[00:39:10] [SPEAKER_00] If you have a loved one who is struggling with addiction, they have to want to go sober. That's the only ingredient. You know, that is the main ingredient. They have to choose to work to go sober. And no, it's not as easy as just wanting it. But like, if you don't have that, you don't have anything. You can't want it for somebody else. You can't want it more than them.

[00:39:39] [SPEAKER_00] And if they don't want it or they're not willing to work at it, then nothing's going to happen. Because basically the life of addiction at that point for them is better than the alternative of going sober. Or they've got to view the going sober part as better than continuing to be actively in addiction.

[00:40:08] [SPEAKER_00] I mean, again, I'm simplifying it somewhat here, but I do have some experience with this. You know, I mean, I really like to drink. I mean, at a certain point, yeah, like, OK, we can say it's a disease. And sure, I think it is. And I think it was helpful for me to like conceptualize it as such because it was like, oh, I can't keep doing this to myself and everyone around me. Like, it's a nightmare. Knock it off. And also, like, what am I doing? But like, it had to be at a point where like I was like, well, I don't want to do this anymore. This sucks, you know.

[00:40:41] [SPEAKER_00] Like, but again, it's I think it can be I think it is a disease. I'm not taking away from that. I'm not taking away from how addictive and how difficult it is at all. But at the same time, there's also like there are choices being made here. There are bad choices being made. And many times that is simply because it is easier for the person suffering from addiction to just keep going. You know, just keep because it's like going sober would be worse in your mind.

[00:41:09] [SPEAKER_00] And then maybe that's not true, but that's the story you tell yourself and you don't you want to keep it. I mean, for the longest time, I was trying to figure out how can I drink more in moderation? I wasn't like, oh, I need to cut it out. I was like trying to game the system so I could keep drinking. That's the addictive mindset, you know, because that was the most important thing. And then when that wasn't the most important thing, then, you know, then I just quit.

[00:41:31] [SPEAKER_00] But every but like I'm just saying in these cases, like we have to we have to acknowledge that there is some personal responsibility that does come into things as well as, you know, acknowledging that it is extremely difficult. People do deserve support. It sounds like Dan and Mary Blake were doing everything they could to get this kid at the time he was a kid as much support as possible.

[00:41:57] [SPEAKER_00] And but ultimately, the key ingredient is the person suffering themselves wanting to change. Maybe it takes a couple of times to do it, but like there has to be that desire. So I'm going to read you the letter and we're going to learn something about Braden's background and kind of what his family had been going through for years. January 18th, 2018. That is when this letter is dated.

[00:42:23] [SPEAKER_00] I think they had tried to get it to different people over time, ever since he started getting into some of this legal trouble and, you know, had not had a lot of success in that. Honorable Judge Harper, our names are Dan and Mary Blake. We are the grandparents of Braden Blake. We are writing this letter to request help from you for Braden. As you know, he's appeared before you on several occasions. We have tried to speak with his counsel, probation officer and prosecutor to express our concerns.

[00:42:51] [SPEAKER_00] I understand that Braden is of age and they cannot discuss his case with us. We just want them to understand our concerns and some of Braden's background. We understand that you will be sharing this letter with them and Braden is aware that we are writing you. End quote. Can we talk about that for a minute as far as like his counsel and prosecutors not wanting to. Share with them about his case, like, can you as an attorney kind of clarify that for a moment?

[00:43:15] [SPEAKER_01] Uh, your attorney is meant to represent you and they don't have an obligation to listen to what other people think of you. They weren't there to represent Braden's grandparents and what they thought Braden needed.

[00:43:33] [SPEAKER_00] So this is going back to the letter. Braden and his sister are biracial and have been raised by us since their births. Their father is white and their mother is black. Both parents have been incarcerated for drug use and other crimes that go along with their use of drugs. Their mother is in recovery and doing well, but their dad is still incarcerated and has issues from his years of drug use. Our issues with Braden have been going on since birth. He was born addicted to cocaine and spent five days in a special nursery at Wishard Hospital.

[00:44:03] [SPEAKER_00] We brought him home and I walked the floors with him for three years with night terrors. My concerns to Dr. Moore were that I thought Braden was hyper. He has always been above average on his charts, at the doctor office, and big for his age. In the sixth grade, we had Braden tested at the school's request. Dr. Monahan did his evaluation and testing and he tested above average in intelligence with ODD. Dr. Monahan expressed to us that there is little or no real cure for this, just lots of counseling.

[00:44:30] [SPEAKER_00] We have tried menacing counseling, but at his age, now we have little or no control over this. Braden can talk you to death about the solar system or anything that he relates to. He was always bored in school and hated attending. We kept him busy with sports, of which he was always excelled in to help with his extra energy. This leads to my other concern. He played football and has three major concussions that we know of. He probably played hurt without us knowing it.

[00:44:56] [SPEAKER_00] In a recent conversation with his mother, she has informed us that there are issues of anger control and bipolar in her family. Braden has become introverted, depressed, unmotivated, and using other methods to self-medicate. He is not using marijuana, but is drinking instead. He doesn't want to be around people because of his anger and racial remarks or any ridicule that might be made. Dan and I love this young man and want him to succeed in life.

[00:45:21] [SPEAKER_00] We want him to understand that there is no shame in getting proper help and the right medication to succeed in life. I think that everyone involved in this case sees a young man begging for the right kind of help and that as adults, we know that jail and prison are not going to achieve this for him. We are asking for understanding and any help that the courts can provide to help him achieve a good and sustainable life. Any recommendations for treatment that is available, etc. Dan and I are in a fixed income, so funds are a consideration. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.

[00:45:50] [SPEAKER_00] Sincerely, Dan and Mary Blake.

[00:45:53] [SPEAKER_01] So they are really trying.

[00:45:55] [SPEAKER_00] My heart breaks for them. You know, they obviously love him. They see his issues. They see the background. You know, they're trying to contextualize his life. They're trying to say, listen, he was born addicted to cocaine. His mother was using drugs while pregnant with him, which is just. How could you do that to your baby? There's there's that.

[00:46:19] [SPEAKER_00] And there's, you know, all of these issues he's suffered from, perhaps prejudice or sensitivity around being biracial in the past. And he's been diagnosed with certain things. But frankly, like maybe the diagnosis, maybe the diagnoses haven't been complete or the whole picture. And they've struggled to help him with the means that they've had. They're worried about things like concussions.

[00:46:50] [SPEAKER_00] You know, I mean, it's just a nightmare when you're stuck in a situation like this. I just think it must be absolute hell on earth because like you can't just people feel like they can't just cut the person off because they love them. They're their family. But they're still stuck doing all of this for someone who, frankly, is making their life a living hell and is possibly violent and doing violent things to their own property and. In some cases to them themselves. So it's very heartbreaking.

[00:47:19] [SPEAKER_00] So ultimately, there was some understanding, at least in one of the cases in May 24, 2018, in the Monroe Circuit Court, there was an agreement to have Braden Blake go to Monroe County Drug Treatment Court. And this required him agree. So drug courts, not as simply as like, oh, you're on drugs. Here's drug court.

[00:47:48] [SPEAKER_00] There's got to be like there's rules and there's understanding that if you complete these steps and if you are doing what you're supposed to do and if you are not failing drug tests and whatever, then you will get drug court where there's more leniency, more opportunities for rehabilitation, more resources for that. That's kind of my understanding of drug court. Is that fair?

[00:48:11] [SPEAKER_01] Yeah.

[00:48:11] [SPEAKER_00] I remember when we went to see Judge Francis Gull's drug court up in Allen County and it was it was like that. It was like kind of like a. It was like a kind of a maybe it was kind of a court, but a little bit like with more of the understanding of addiction issues in mind. And really, I felt like the goal was much more to be like, let's get you out of this by helping you heal.

[00:48:36] [SPEAKER_01] Yeah, it was kind of a tough love situation where people were held accountable, but there was understanding offered. Yeah. Not limitless understanding. No. Some understanding.

[00:48:49] [SPEAKER_00] It's like if you're going to mess around, then you're gone and then you don't get the leniency. But I mean, I think it's a really I think it's a great thing. Drug court. You know, I mean, I think in many cases it can be very helpful of actually changing people's lives for the better. So in this case, he he he does drug court. And, you know, on then we get this following one petition for drug treatment court termination.

[00:49:16] [SPEAKER_00] Breer Frazier, probation officer, alleges that on the 24th of May 2018, the above named defendant appeared before the court and pled guilty to the following offenses. Violation of probation slash community corrections. Burglary attempted burglary. And the defendant's sentencing was continued by agreement of the defendant and the prosecuting attorney on the condition of the defendant comply with the conditions of and successfully complete the Monroe County Drug Treatment Court.

[00:49:42] [SPEAKER_00] Petitioner now shows that the court that the defendant has violated the conditions of the drug treatment court as follows. On or about 82118, the defendant was brought before Judge Deikoff after having a day of noncompliance and outbursts at Recovery Engagement Center. He slammed and hit the door and refused to work with the treatment staff. On or about 101118, the defendant failed to show for his therapy session at Centerstone.

[00:50:08] [SPEAKER_00] On or about 10318, the defendant admitted that he had become aggressive and broken a television at the home of his grandparents. Again, those are the Blakes. On or about 11718, the defendant left Recovery Engagement Center after hours without permission in order to see his girlfriend. On or about 12518, the defendant was late to treatment and admitted that he had discontinued his own medication, which is part of his treatment as directed through Centerstone.

[00:50:36] [SPEAKER_00] On or about 111118, the defendant was found to have been violating a court order to have no contact with his girlfriend. In addition, he was found to have been leaving the Recovery Engagement Center unauthorized at night to spend the nights with his girlfriend at the home and at the home of his grandparents. On or about 121118, the defendant failed to show for his treatment at Centerstone without permission. On or about 1119, the defendant was again found to be in violation of the court's no contact order with his girlfriend.

[00:51:02] [SPEAKER_00] In addition, he was arrested for domestic battery and theft, both Class A misdemeanors, as filed in Monroe County. Okay, so he not only at that point flames out of drug court treatment, but he commits another crime, multiple other crimes. He breaks the TV at his grandparents' home. Like, this is, these are not the actions of someone who is serious about getting sober. What do you think, Kevin?

[00:51:33] [SPEAKER_01] Yeah, I agree. I understand why he was removed from the program.

[00:51:37] [SPEAKER_00] So that is, he is then sentenced by Judge Mary Dietkoff for the two burglary counts. He had pled guilty to them, so he was sentenced to four years to be executed in Indiana Department of Correction. And that was on May 20th, 2019.

[00:52:05] [SPEAKER_00] He writes her from, he writes the judge from prison May 20th, 2020. Or rather, rather, I believe his mom, I think, writes the judge saying, and the mom is also incarcerated at this point, says, quote, quote, my hope are that you will consider bringing him back for a sentence modification.

[00:52:35] [SPEAKER_00] He is a young man that has lived his entire life without his parents, and we are to be blamed for our failures. We have failed him. But if you could see this child's heart, it is good considering how he grew up without his mom and dad.

[00:52:54] [SPEAKER_00] Judge, you see the, I can't read this word, every day who have failed in society, and it may look like Brayden is on some path, the same path. Oh, this is his dad writing as Bouchon and myself, but he is different, and this incarceration has opened his eyes in understanding. His actions speak louder than words.

[00:53:24] [SPEAKER_00] Right now, he is soft, I can't, and broken in not being hardened by the system. He cares and doesn't want the life of his parents. Please consider that maybe the time is right to save him from this hardening system and allow him to, um, a different, different from the path he was on. So that's his father, Brian Blake.

[00:53:53] [SPEAKER_00] Like, and we remember, he's incarcerated for, you know, a lot of drug crimes. The mom was apparently in treatment, but she, you know, abused drugs while she was pregnant, apparently, according to his grandparents, at least. And so, I mean, you're having all these people. And I guess, Kevin, like, what are your thoughts? Like, my bias always tends to be like, oh, yeah, someone's on drugs. They're having problems. Like, I want the system to work with them to get better. You know?

[00:54:21] [SPEAKER_01] Yeah, you, you, it's natural to want to help people, especially when you realize that their troubles are not entirely their own fault. And so, yeah, this is just very sad because some people, no matter how much you help them, they are not going to be able to steer away from the destructive course.

[00:54:47] [SPEAKER_01] They are on a destructive course that sometimes wrecks not only their lives, but the lives of those around them.

[00:54:53] [SPEAKER_00] And, yeah, innocent people. You know, what kind of troubles me about this case is, like, you're seeing a pattern of really bad behavior, but nothing that would make me be, like, triple homicide by arson.

[00:55:08] [SPEAKER_01] Yeah, it can be comforting when after you see a tragedy, you look back and you think, oh, there's some obvious warning signs here that people missed. And there don't seem to be obvious warning signs here. It seems this person had a family support system who really cared about him and were advocating for him.

[00:55:32] [SPEAKER_00] My guess is that there was a lot of stuff that didn't make it into the system that he was doing.

[00:55:37] [SPEAKER_01] Yeah, that's probably true.

[00:55:39] [SPEAKER_00] I don't think you wake up one day and just want to rape somebody. I think that behavior. I'm not saying that he did it before at all. I'm just more of saying, like, that behavior is so out of control. And the cases where you have where, like, oh, well, this is the first time he did it. It's like, yeah, but it's the first time he's documented as having done something or wanted to do something or that his behavior was disturbing in that manner.

[00:56:07] [SPEAKER_00] On the one hand, to me, it's like, though, you are seeing the pattern of a guy who people keep standing up for and trying to get help and who just won't do the things he needs to do. So in that way, it is not surprising. May 20th, 2020, I believe Braden Blake himself writes Judge Decoff saying that, quote,

[00:56:33] [SPEAKER_00] I would like you to know I fully understand why I'm here, where I am right now. I have serious drinking problem with mental health issues and a definite defiant attitude towards authority. However, I believe I have done some positive changes dealing at IDOC. I have done an online education course, not only doing schoolwork, but self skill builders as well.

[00:57:00] [SPEAKER_00] I have take and possessed past several ASE certification. So he's kind of like talking about all the while working on my mental health and aggressive addiction problems. I believe if you allow me the chance to show I change, I won't let you down. And yeah, so they then there's a kind of a summary here where it kind of gets into a little bit of an update.

[00:57:27] [SPEAKER_00] So it says, quote, on May 24th, 2018, defendant pleaded guilty to burglary and attempted burglary. Sentencing was deferred for two years so that defendant could participate in drug treatment court. On February 9th, 2019, petition for termination from drug court was filed. On April 24th, 2019, defendant admitted to the petition for termination. On May 17th, 2019, defendant was sentenced to four years executed on each count to be served consecutively to each other as well as consecutively to the sentence.

[00:57:58] [SPEAKER_00] Defendant has been serving as sentences in Plainfield Correctional Facility since being transported there. On May 28th, 2019, due to the unavailability of programming at Plainfield, defendant has been unable to fully participate in treatment program during his confinement. Defendant is 22 years old and has spent over one full year in the Department of Correction. Defendant wishes to participate in the Monroe County reentry program.

[00:58:22] [SPEAKER_00] Defendant believes he has learned from his previous mistakes and seeks a chance to demonstrate to the court that he can comply with the court's orders and successfully complete the reentry program. Deputy Prosecutor Christopher Pierce has no objection to the modification of defendant's sentence. Defendant waives his right to be present at the time to modify the sentence. And so this is from his defense team. And my understanding is that the judge did not go for it.

[00:58:49] [SPEAKER_00] In March of 2021, there's from Mary Ellen DeKoff, The court being duly advised now orders the defendant's motion for modification of sentence be denied. End quote. You know, I imagine that when you're a judge and you're seeing someone not even work the initial drug program that they're given, you're going to be very skeptical once they come back to you with this song and dance again.

[00:59:12] [SPEAKER_01] Yeah.

[00:59:14] [SPEAKER_00] You know, he writes her another letter, August 17, 2020, you know, convinced, trying to convince her he can go to the reentry. He's doing a lot of thinking about problems.

[00:59:26] [SPEAKER_01] And yeah, he says, quote, in this year incarcerated, I've learned what prison is all about. I've seen a lot of stuff that scares me. Honestly, sitting in this room right now, I'm afraid I refuse to join a gang out of fear. And it makes me an easy target. A lot of youngsters from Indy like to try people who aren't. I've had so many problems here because of that. It's disturbing.

[00:59:50] [SPEAKER_01] And he's he's writing here that he's done thinking he's ready to change his ways. He's learned lessons.

[01:00:00] [SPEAKER_00] July 3rd, 2023, he actually writes in pencil a motion to modify sentencing and says that he's studying calculus and statistics and helping others learn math. And believes that volunteers of America would be beneficial to him and be productive and self-reliant. And, you know, all this stuff.

[01:00:27] [SPEAKER_00] If he even then does another one, March 7th, 2024. Trying to inform the judge of his conduct. Zero formal conduct reports. Completed logistics program for CLA slash CLT. Trying to help inmates with math. And then a bizarre aside. Quote, in fact, I have reached out.

[01:00:51] [SPEAKER_01] This part, I should say, is written in all caps. Of course.

[01:00:54] [SPEAKER_00] In quote, in fact, I have reached out to a Ph.D. Particle physicist by the name of Chris McMullen, who is a high level instructor at Northwestern University. He offered to help me in his free time to answer questions I have.

[01:01:06] [SPEAKER_01] OK.

[01:01:07] [SPEAKER_00] We knew that his grandparents said he had an interest in the solar system. So he claims to have been sober for four years at this point. So he said, quote, I also want to apologize to you because I've said a lot of things out of anger and depression I shouldn't have. But even though I've spent four out of the last five years in prison, I wouldn't have been truly capable of being sober if you hadn't intervened. So thank you. I hope you allow me the privilege of completing house arrest.

[01:01:35] [SPEAKER_00] I have a valid license, job opportunities and a place to stay and two places to stay. End quote. And then. On February 28th, 2024, he also filed a motionful alternative placement. Bragging about his zero conduct issues. Furthered his education in mathematics and physics, studying the laws of motion.

[01:02:00] [SPEAKER_00] Plan to reattend school for a new major in architectural studies and structural engineering. House arrest would be able to love to reintegrate into society. Quote, I would also like to apologize for the excessive and rude letters I wrote in county. It was a stressful and depressing time. End quote. So I guess he was kind of blasting the judge. That's also not a good way to get the judge to take you seriously, obviously.

[01:02:29] [SPEAKER_00] And claims that there was somebody who like messed up one of his progress reports and they aren't fixing the errors. So anyways, June 20 of June 11, 2024. The judge does a findings in order rejecting community transition program and saying, quote.

[01:02:50] [SPEAKER_00] Placement of the defendant in the community transition program represents a substantial threat to the safety of others in that Monroe County does not have sufficient resources to provide the necessity of supervision for this defendant. Other good cause exists to deny placement. The facts and circumstances surrounding the commission of the defendant's crime and the prior criminal history of the defendant does not warrant the defendant's release in that the defendant has prior convictions and earlier failed probation attempts.

[01:03:17] [SPEAKER_01] So she's not buying what he's putting out there.

[01:03:19] [SPEAKER_00] Not at all. And this is one of those cases where I almost assumed we would be looking at like, oh, everyone kept giving him passes. But that's not true. This judge, I think, saw I think she saw him for what he was. That he was going to be a danger. And should not be given that kind of consideration.

[01:03:43] [SPEAKER_00] I hate when people take a situation like this and kind of use it to say, well, we shouldn't be giving any sort of consideration for anyone, because I do believe there are people who have gone through the system and worked it and done the right thing and done what they needed to do. And then they should be getting those considerations. But what this judge is actually saying is that if we put him in something like that, he'll be a danger to the other people in that situation.

[01:04:11] [SPEAKER_00] So she's looking out for their interests, too. I don't believe that we shouldn't have those things. It's more that. You want to use discretion about who's doing them, if it's someone who's like a true danger to society like this guy. Obviously, the judge felt that from early on. So anyways, that is that is a big part of this. Ultimately, he's, I believe, just let out because.

[01:04:42] [SPEAKER_00] His sentence, he completed a sentence like they can't just, you know, keep adding time. If he completed a sentence, he completed a sentence. He goes back and lives with his grandmother, Mary Blake, in the same house they had attempted to evict him from once and then ultimately seemingly let him back into. And. The story even gets weirder now. So as mentioned before, he was injured in the fire that he set.

[01:05:08] [SPEAKER_00] And was transported to, you know, Ashkenazi hospital. What he was, you know, he had to get a lot of treatment for his burns and the Monroe County Sheriff's Office. Were, I guess, guarding him. And ultimately, after a while, they were basically asked to move to a spot where they didn't have eyes on him by the hospital. The hospital basically pushed them out.

[01:05:37] [SPEAKER_00] And then. They were there was some kind of arrangement where the hospital was supposed to let them know, hey. He's about to get released, so come pick him up. That did not happen. I don't. I mean, they just let him out. What do you think about that?

[01:05:56] [SPEAKER_01] Yeah, that's that's hard to understand. I'm sure it was a simple error, but it's an error that could potentially have put lives in danger.

[01:06:07] [SPEAKER_00] I mean, this is a guy who set three innocent people on fire. You know, I mean, I don't. And listen, like in this, like there's cases where it's like, OK, the facts are, you know, we have a victim before she dies saying, yeah, he set us all on fire. He's found nearby burned. I don't mind saying that he set these three human beings on fire. You know, like I like we have to at some point, you know, I'm not I'm not going to be on a jury.

[01:06:37] [SPEAKER_00] I don't live in this county. I'm going to just say what it is. And they just they let him out. And again, I don't know whose fault this is. I don't want to point the finger. To me, it sounds like it's the hospital's fault, but it's possible that it wasn't. I don't know. But they let this guy out. He's he's out there wandering around. And.

[01:07:00] [SPEAKER_00] Fortunately, the like a squadron of the United States Marshal Service, the Indiana State Police and the Monroe County Sheriff's Office rearrest him in Avon, Indiana. After he is mistakenly released on April 1st. Again, how? Now, but.

[01:07:25] [SPEAKER_00] Right now, as far as everything going on in this case there, you know, it's kind of going towards. I believe April 13th was when life without parole was requested. There was a no contact order issued on. April 14th for Gabriella Anderson, one of the surviving victims. And.

[01:07:55] [SPEAKER_00] There was a hearing associated with that, I think, on the 13th. And. The next pre-trial conference, I believe, is scheduled for May 20th, 2026. The jury trial is scheduled for September 21st. 2026. And right now.

[01:08:17] [SPEAKER_00] Right now. And. Mary Blake. But also.

[01:08:45] [SPEAKER_00] Her daughter, Christine, is, you know. A testament to her. You know, I mean, like. And the fact that her life ended this. In this brutal way. And all their lives ended in this brutal way. And that Mary Blake was betrayed by a child that she raised. Who. Whose issues she understood and sympathized with.

[01:09:08] [SPEAKER_01] And who she worked so hard to help.

[01:09:10] [SPEAKER_00] And that he not. He didn't shoot her in a fit of anger. He didn't push her down the stairs. He didn't do something in the heat of the moment that. Someone out of control might do. And, you know, maybe. Maybe it doesn't make. He poured gasoline on his grandmother and set her on fire. Because his grandmother's caregiver didn't want to have sex with him. I don't know. What do you do with people like this? What do you do? I mean, what do you do with people like this? How do you keep people like this?

[01:09:40] [SPEAKER_00] So they don't do this to people. Like, you know, I mean. To me. There are. Unfortunately. Probably. A lot of families around this great country. Where they're essentially living some kind of constant hostage crisis. With their drug addicted. Alcohol addicted. Or an otherwise mentally disturbed. Violent young male in their household. I think that is not an uncommon story in this country. And they have very few resources.

[01:10:10] [SPEAKER_00] And we should be all about helping those people. Because if we can intervene. In those situations. And set up. It's a policy choice that we're having those situations unfold. To the point where people are murdering each other. To the point where they're murdering their own families. There has to be change. There has to be. Interventions. In this case. This guy was given. Interventions.

[01:10:39] [SPEAKER_00] They were trying to get him resources. If somebody is refusing. To do the necessary things. That they need to do. In order to. Accept the help. And grow. And not be a person who is going to be attacking. Your own family. Or damaging your own family's home. Or running around. And doing drugs. And being out of control. If you're not willing to do that. Then. I think you. You forfeit.

[01:11:09] [SPEAKER_00] Your ability. To be able to continue to inflict harm. Upon others and yourself. And I think if we could do that. There would be. Society would improve immensely. But that's just my take. I'm just so disgusted with this. I just like. I. Reading some of this. Stuff. The other night. Just made me want to cry. Because it's again. These people didn't deserve this. They died in agony. And in terror. For no reason. And. You know.

[01:11:39] [SPEAKER_00] We. We talked about some of the issues. That this. Defendant. Faced early in life. I think those are. Notable. And should not be. Just erased. In order to fit some kind of. Convenient narrative. Saying. Well he's just an evil monster. Those issues. Probably contributed a lot. To his. Spiraling. Mess of a life. But at a certain point. It just doesn't matter. I mean at a certain point. It's good to know about. And it's horrible. And it's sad. But like. He still made choices.

[01:12:08] [SPEAKER_00] And there are probably other people. Born into worse circumstances. That didn't make those choices.

[01:12:12] [SPEAKER_01] Right.

[01:12:13] [SPEAKER_00] So. At a certain point. You know. Whatever. I. Yeah. I mean what. Do you have any closing thoughts?

[01:12:19] [SPEAKER_01] I don't. It's just a very sad. And depressing. Case. Case.

[01:12:24] [SPEAKER_00] Yeah. Makes me sick. But. That is what we were able to find about. Braden Blake. And the situation. In Bloomington. Regarding. Paula Anderson. Mary Blake. And Christine Rowan. And we appreciate you guys listening. And I hope you found this discussion informative and helpful.

[01:12:43] [SPEAKER_01] Thanks so much for listening to the Murder Sheet. If you have a tip concerning one of the cases we cover. Please email us at murdersheet at gmail dot com. If you have actionable information about an unsolved crime. Please report it to the appropriate authorities.

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