1 of 2 men accused in Indiana cold case murder of 17-year-old girl gets 8-year sentence

NOBLE COUNTY, Ind. (WLS) -- One of two men charged in an Indiana cold case murder was sentenced to eight years in prison Friday.

John Wayne Lehman took a plea deal in August for a lesser charge of conspiracy to commit murder, in the killing of 17-year-old Laurel Jean Mitchell.

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It happened in Noble County back in January of 1975.

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The other defendant, Fred Bandy, Jr., was found guilty of murder in a bench trial Tuesday, and will be sentenced later this month.

Both men were arrested and charged in the case in February 2023, after being connected to it through the Indiana State Police crime laboratory.