LEBANON, Indiana — A judge sentenced a Thorntown man to 195 years in prison for the murders of three people in a Lebanon apartment in 2021.
In August 2023, a jury found 42-year-old Chad Grimball guilty after a seven-day trial on three counts of murder and a charge of carrying a handgun without a license.
The bodies of 20-year-old Grace Bishop, 21-year-old Brannon Martin and 42-year-old Larry Stogsdill Jr. were found by an acquaintance in an apartment on Walnut Street in Lebanon on Sept. 8, 2021. The coroner later determined each victim died from a single gunshot wound.
A probable cause affidavit from Boone County reveals that DNA on cigarette butts collected from the kitchen ashtray in the apartment matched Grimball.
Court documents also state that cellphone records for Grimball and another person, who allegedly drove him to the crime scene, show their cellphones appeared to enter and exit the area of the apartment complex at the time when police believe the shootings happened.
Video of Grimball reporting to the Boone County Probation Department the morning of the shootings showed he was wearing shoes with a tread pattern that is consistent with those left at the crime scene, according to court documents.
"Today’s sentence means that the Defendant will never walk free again. He will spend the rest of his life in prison for the heinous and cowardly acts he committed that day," Prosecutor Kent Eastwood said. "The verdict and sentence are a testament to our investigative and trial team commitment to achieving justice for the families of Grace, Brannon, Larry, and our community – We Thank You."
Grimball was already serving time for a conviction for intimidation, domestic battery and resisting law enforcement.