NOBLESVILLE — A woman accused of a 2021 homicide in which a man was strangled and drugged has been found guilty of murder and related charges.
A jury convicted Heidi Littlefield, 42, of a single count of murder and two counts of conspiracy to commit murder — one as a level 1 felony when conspiracy leads to a victim's death and one as a level 2 felony when conspiracy does not lead to a victim's death, online court records show.
Littlefield is one of three people now convicted in the killing of Francis Kelley, who police found dead Jan. 18, 2021, inside his Carmel home.
But some charges against Littlefield's co-defendants, Logan Runyon and Robert Walker, were dropped after they both pleaded guilty to counts of conspiracy.
Runyon pleaded guilty to conspiracy as a level 1 felony and had a murder charge dismissed while Walker pleaded guilty to conspiracy as a level 2 felony and had a level 1 conspiracy charge dismissed, records show.
All three defendants were arrested as a result of a criminal investigation into Kelley's death.
An autopsy determined Kelley's cause of death was asphyxia due to strangulation. A toxicology test also found Kelley had fentanyl in his system at the time of his death, according to court documents.
Littlefield and Runyon put fentanyl in Kelley’s oatmeal inside the fridge, documents allege.
Around 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 15, Kelley texted Littlefield and asked if she did something “to the oatmeal that was in my fridge,” according to court documents. “What the actual f**k are you talking about????” Littlefield responded.
“You were in my fridge last night and it tasted funny after a couple of bites and now I am light headed,” Kelley said in a text message to Littlefield. He said he just got off the phone and had to ask them to “repeat things basic things.”
Littlefield sent two other messages that went unread by Kelley. The last email he sent on his work computer was at 1:56 p.m., which, his employer said, was “highly unusual” for him, according to court documents.
During the investigation, detectives learned Littlefield and Runyon went inside Kelley’s home on Jan. 15 and found he still had a pulse and was on the kitchen floor, according to court documents. Littlefield then grabbed his “favorite tie,” tried to strangle Kelley, and smashed his head on the floor. They then left Kelley on the floor and left.
Kelley was found dead on a couch inside the home on Jan. 18, according to court documents.
Detectives later learned Littlefield paid Walker $2,500 to find someone to kill Kelley, but ended up spending the money on other items, according to court documents.
Littlefield is scheduled to appear for a sentencing hearing Oct. 7 at Hamilton Superior Court.
Runyon was sentenced to 32 years with six suspended and Whitaker was sentenced to 20 years with 10 suspended.
-
'It means that I can go to work': Local single mom gets free car
A single mom who’s been without a car for months got a new set of wheels Wednesday, and it didn't cost her a dime thanks to an auto-repair company with local ties.
South Madison Fire Territory expansion canceled due to new property tax law
Eight local governing bodies had previously agreed to expand the South Madison Fire Protection Territory, but now, that plan has to be scrapped.
Neighbors seek changes to the intersection of 16th and Delaware Street
Neighbors and community leaders on Indy’s Old North Side are calling for additional safety measures for what they say has long been a dangerous intersection.
AI data processing center could rise in Hancock County
Cloud computer technology, including artificial intelligence, needs data centers to function. A developer hopes to convert more than 700 acres of Hancock County farmland into an AI data campus.
