Jerry L. Need
December 23, 1992
Terre Haute, Indiana
Vigo County Sheriff Arrests 2 in 14 Year Old Murder Case
WTWO (Terre-Haute, Indiana)
8/24/2006
A 14 year old murder in Terre Haute is back in the limelight as the Vigo County Sheriff`s Department arrested two suspects.
In December 1992, taxi cab driver Jerry Need was shot and killed at the Gas Light Estate Trailer park on Springhill road.
Police have been working on his case ever since.
Vigo County Sheriff Jon Marvel announced the arrests of Lamar Perry who is currently in a California state prison and William Allsup of West Terre Haute
A judge arraigned Allsup this morning on charges of robbery and murder.
He says he is innocent.
Marvel says the case could now be solved because witnesses came forward who wouldn`t before.
He doesn`t take credit for solving the case though, he gives that to those who came before him.
Officials are still arranging for Lamar Perry to be brought from California to Indiana.
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IndyStar.com
March 17, 2007
Delay in trial releases murder suspect from jail
Terre Haute -- A man charged in the 1992 shooting death of a cabdriver has been released from jail because of a trial delay.
William Allsup, 33, West Terre Haute, had been in the Vigo County Jail since Aug. 23, charged with the robbery and murder of Jerry L. Need, 55.
A jury trial was scheduled for Monday, but Prosecutor Terry Modesitt asked for a continuance because his main witness, who is in a California prison, was not available.
A new trial was set for Aug. 6 in Superior Court.
Because the delay was not caused by certain factors, the judge was required to release Allsup.
-- Star news services
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The Tribune-Star
(Terre Haute, Indiana)
August 10, 2007
Terre Haute man convicted of 1992 murder
By Deb McKee
The Tribune-Star
TERRE HAUTE - A jury convicted a Terre Haute man Friday of
the 1992 murder and robbery of cab driver Jerry L. Need.
William Allsup Jr., 34, was found guilty of one count of murder,
one count of felony murder (murder occurring during commission
of a felony), and one count of robbery resulting in serious bodily
injury.
Need, 55, was killed by a shotgun blast to the neck on the
evening of Dec. 23, 1992 in Gaslight Estates Mobile Home Park,
just off Springhill Road, south of Terre Haute.
After a little more than five hours of deliberations Friday, the jury
returned its verdict to Judge David Bolk.
More than 20 supporters of Allsup waited in the courtroom before
the verdict, sharing nervous glances and encouragement. When
the guilty verdicts were read, Allsup's wife, Jammie, began
sobbing, leaning into family members for support.
As deputies handcuffed the stunned Allsup, his family gathered
around him for hugs.
Allsup's young son, Trey, who just a few moments earlier had
been sitting with his dad in the atrium of the court house, sharing
a milkshake, laughing and hugging, shared his father's stunned
expression after the verdict.
A female family member, speaking to the boy, said, "Tell your
daddy bye, baby."
The family of Jerry Need, standing on the other side of the
courtroom, remained standing where they had observed the
entire trial, showing little expression. Members of the Need
family declined to comment on the outcome.
During closing arguments Friday morning, Deputy Prosecutor
William Earls stated that in relying on convicted armed robber
Lamar Perry to prove its case, the prosecutor's office "had to
make a deal with the devil."
"We knew who Jerry Need's killers were . we made the deal
with Perry because we knew," Earls added.
Perry told the court during his testimony that he and Allsup were
friends at the time and that they had planned the robbery
together. Allsup, who did not testify during his trial, was
convicted in 1993 of the robbery of a pizza deliveryman, along
with Perry. The facts of that case closely resembled the robbery
of Need, but information about the conviction was not available
to the jury.
Perry, who pleaded guilty in a plea agreement last week to
robbery in the Need case, testified against Allsup. By terms of
the agreement, prosecutors dropped a felony murder charge
against Perry. He is expected to receive a sentence of 40 years,
which will run at the same time as a 50-year sentence he is
serving in California for six counts of armed robbery. Perry's
earliest date of release is 2030.
Defense attorney Dr. Michael Rader told jurors during his closing
argument that investigators saw what they wanted to see, and
believed what they wanted to believe. He said the prosecution
"cherry-picked" only the evidence consistent with a pre-formed
theory of the case, ignoring inconsistent evidence.
Rader added that Perry's testimony contained inconsistencies,
including contradictory statements of who owned the .20-gauge
shotgun that killed Need and confusing details about where
Perry's car allegedly was in relation to the taxicab that night in
the trailer park. Rader called Perry's account of the robbery "a
hare-brained story that makes no sense."
Throughout the weeklong proceedings, several witnesses for the
defense and prosecution had described another individual or
individuals who did not match Allsup's description, either in the
same car as Perry that night, or driving the taxicab out of the
trailer park. Vigo County Coroner and forensic pathologist Dr.
Roland Kohr testified that the lack of blood on the interior of the
cab made it "extremely unlikely" that Need was shot inside the
cab, as Perry claimed.
Rader said his client plans to appeal, "but for now we've got to
prepare for sentencing."
Allsup will be sentenced at 9 a.m. Sept. 9 in Vigo County
Superior Court Division 3. The maximum sentence for murder is
65 years, while the robbery conviction could carry up to 50 years.
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