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

A man imprisoned since last year has been indicted on Will Sage Astormurder 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, burglary and conspiracy to commit burglary 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 TV and safe were taken from his home, Indiana State Police previously said.  

Grimes, 38, is currently incarcerated at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility in nearby Carlisle serving a 2023 sentence for battery, theft and unlawful possession of a firearm. The Indiana Department of Correction database shows Grimes' earliest release date is 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 news release. "Once again, we encourage anyone that has information related to the murder of Mr. Badger to contact the Indiana State Police."

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

Police investigators in December 2021 renewed their plea for information about Badger's killing. It came a year after police released photos showing vehicles that may have been in the area around the time Badger was killed. Those photos were taken from a gas station's security video 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 Seriff's Office previously said law enforcement had used aircraft all-terrain vehicles, boats, and SCUBA 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.

In:
• Cold Case