Man indicted in cold case killing of retired Indiana farmer found shot to death in his home

A man jailed since last year has been charged with murder and other charges in the 2012 slaying of a retired farmer found shot to death in his western Indiana home, police said Wednesday.

A Sullivan County grand jury indicted William Ray Grimes on charges of murder, robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery in the December 2012 slaying of Lowell Badger, state police said.

Badger, 85, died during a burglary at his rural Sullivan County home about 30 miles south of Terre Haute. Badger was found dead on the bedroom floor and a 46-inch television and a safe were taken from his home, Indiana State Police previously said.

Grimes, 38, is currently incarcerated at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility near Carlisle, serving a 2023 sentence for battery, robbery and unlawful possession of a firearm. The Indiana Department of Corrections database shows Grimes' first release date as Jan. 2, 2053.

A phone message seeking comment was left for an attorney who represented him in that case.

“This is the beginning of the criminal process,” Special Prosecutor Rob Roberts said in a press release. “Once again, we encourage anyone with information related to Mr. Badger's murder to contact the Indiana State Police.”

A phone message was left for Roberts asking for details about what led investigators to Grimes and other information.

Police investigators in December 2021 renewed their appeal for information about Badger's murder. It came a year after police released photos showing vehicles that may have been in the area around the time Badger was killed. These photos were taken from security video at a gas station in nearby Graysville, a few miles east of the Illinois state line.

Detectives as of December 2021 had investigated more than 275 tips, conducted nearly 170 interviews and searched many areas of land and water in the Sullivan County area as part of the investigation. The Sullivan County Sheriff's Office previously said law enforcement had used aircraft, all-terrain vehicles, boats and divers to search the area.

A reward of about $30,000 was offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for Badger's death.