DOB: 06-05-1931 DOC#: 13140 Black Male
Hamilton County Superior Court
Judge
Jerry M. Barr
Venued from Marion County
Prosecutor: Greg Garrison, John Tinder
Defense: Wilmer Goering
Date of Murder: November 6, 1979
Victim(s): Rhonda L. Caldwell B/F/27 (Ex-wife); John H. Caldwell B/M/54 (Ex-Father-In-Law); Gerald F. Griffin W/M/29 (Indianapolis Police Officer)
Method of Murder: shooting with shotgun
Summary: Moore was divorced from his second wife,
Rhonda Caldwell, 8 days before murdering her. Moore went
to the home of her parents on 36th Street in Indianapolis
and talked to Rhonda in the carport for awhile. Rhonda
began to cry and headed back in the house. As she did,
she shouted at her parents to "get inside, lock the
doors, Richard's got a gun." Moore was armed with a
shotgun and when it was all over he had shot John
Caldwell to death in the living room, shot Rhonda to
death in the kitchen, and seriously injured Ruth Caldwell
with shots to her right arm and buttocks. A responding
Indianapolis Police Officer in full uniform, Gerald
Griffin was dead just outside, Moore having shot him with
the shotgun through the front doorway. Another Officer,
Cicero Mukes was also in full uniform and shot while
getting out of his marked patrol car.
Conviction: Pled Guilty to Murder (3 counts) with no Plea Agreement; State dismissed Attempted Murder (A Felony) (3 counts) and Confinement (B Felony) (3 counts) upon the Court's acceptance of the guilty pleas.
Sentencing: October 24, 1980 (Death Sentence)
Aggravating Circumstances: Law enforcement victim; 3 murders
Mitigating Circumstances: improvements made in his life as he overcame alcoholism, religious activities while in jail, opinion evidence that he is not likely to repeat crimes, extreme emotional disturbance, good works, no significant prior criminal record
Direct Appeal:
Moore v. State, 479 N.E.2d 1264 (Ind. June 26, 1985)
Conviction Affirmed 4-0 DP Affirmed 3-1
Pivarnik Opinion; Givan, Prentice concur; Debruler dissents.
(Hunter did not participate)
Guilty Plea
Moore v. Indiana, 106 S. Ct. 583 (1985) (Cert. denied)
PCR: 02-17-86 PCR filed; Granted on conviction and sentence by Special Judge Thomas Newman 05-15-95; Appealed by the State on conviction only.
State v. Moore, 678 N.E.2d 1258 (Ind. 1997)
(State's appeal on
conviction only) Reversed 5-0
Guilty Plea reinstated and remanded for
new sentencing hearing.