By MATT THACKER
Matt.Thacker@newsandtribune.com
CLARK COUNTY —
A death penalty case for an Evansville man accused of killing two children in a house fire will be heard in Clark County Circuit Court.
Jeffrey Alan Weisheit, 34, was charged in April in Vanderburgh County with class A felony arson and two counts of murder. Prosecutor Stanley Levco filed paperwork seeking the death penalty a couple of weeks later.
According to a probable-cause affidavit, local firefighters responded to 10040 Fischer Road in Evansville at about 4:45 a.m. April 10 after a neighbor called 911 to report a house fire. First responders found the home engulfed in flames.
A neighbor told police that Weisheit lived in the house with his girlfriend, Lisa Lynch, and her two children, 8-year-old Alyssa and 5-year-old Caleb Lynch. Lisa arrived home and said Weisheit was supposed to be at the house watching her children.
Weisheit and his vehicle were missing, and police began tracking the vehicle using OnStar. Police caught up to him in Boone County, Ky., and Weisheit allegedly began driving at a high rate of speed. According to court records, he eventually jumped out of the vehicle while it was moving and charged at an officer with a knife screaming “shoot me.”
The bodies of the two children were found in the house. Officials found burned flares and evidence at least one child was bound with duct tape, court records state.
During questioning by police, Weisheit was asked if he did something to the kids and he reportedly said, “I don’t remember.” When asked how he set the fire, he also said he did not remember. He then reportedly admitted he set the fire before stopping and saying he wanted a lawyer.
The case was moved to Clark County earlier this month after Weisheit’s attorneys requested a change of venue, citing heavy media coverage and comments written on blogs about what should be done to Weisheit.
Circuit Court Judge Dan Moore scheduled the trial for April 9. Clark County residents will make up the jury pool.
Previous death penalty cases in Clark County
The last death penalty case heard in Clark County was Daniel Ray Wilkes in 2007, also transferred from Vanderburgh County. He was found guilty of three counts of murder for beating to death his girlfriend and her two young daughters. He is on death row.
The Clark County Prosecutor’s Office has filed five murder cases seeking a death sentence since 1977, according to its website. The most recent was Zachariah Melcher in 2005 for murdering his pregnant wife and son.
He pleaded guilty in 2006 and was sentenced to life in prison. He allegedly killed another prison inmate in 2008 and is currently awaiting a death penalty trial in Vigo County. A hearing on a motion by his attorney to dismiss that case will be held Nov. 12.
