Steven Timothy Judy

Steven Timothy Judy (May 24, 1956 – March 9, 1981) was an American mass murderer and suspected serial killer who was convicted of murdering Terry Lee Chasteen and her three children: Misty Ann, Steve, and Mark, on April 28, 1979.

Steven Timothy Judy was born on May 24, 1956, the son of Myrtle and Vernon Judy.

As a child, he grew up in an environment where there was violence, pornography, alcohol, and crime.

His father had a history of being arrested for assaulting his mother.

One afternoon, his father caught his mother cheating on him and responded to the incident by killing the family's dog.

As a result, his defense attorney, Steven L. Harris, stated, "that's all he's known since the day he was born."

Judy recalled, "There's times when I can remember my mother pulling a gun out on my dad and trying to shoot him."

As a child, Judy was caught burning down a neighbor's garage and stabbing a classmate with a compass.

When he was 10 years old, he started to pursue high school females.

He would push them to the ground and molest them.

At the age of 13, Judy pretended to be a Boy Scout, forced himself into a woman's home, raped her, and then tried to kill her with a pocketknife.

The pocketknife broke before he could kill the woman.

However, he fractured her skull and cut off one of her fingers.

At the trial, Judy initially claimed he had nothing to do with the assault.

Once the investigators brought up his past incidents, he pled insanity.

He was found guilty and sentenced to six months in a juvenile detention center and was then sent to a mental hospital.

At the hospital he received treatment for his diagnosis as a "sexual psychopath".

Once released, Judy was placed into foster care and sent to live with Robert and Mary Carr who were uninformed about Judy's history.

On Saturday, April 28, 1979, Terry Lee Chasteen was on her way to drop her children off at a babysitter's house before going to work.

While on the road, Judy passed her car and gave her a sign that indicated that she needed to pull over.

She eventually did and accepted help from Judy, who she thought was just being a Good Samaritan.

He told her that something was wrong with her tire and offered to fix it.

While examining her tire, he disabled the car and offered Chasteen and her three children a ride.

He then drove them to White Lick Creek.

Once at the Creek, Judy directed the three children to a path, having them walk ahead of him and Chasteen.

Once the children were ahead of them, Judy raped Chasteen, tied her hands and feet, and began choking her.

Chasteen began screaming for help and her children ran back to them.

Later that day, police officers discovered the bodies of Chasteen and her three children: Misty (5 years old), Stephen (4 years old), and Mark (2 years old).

Evidence was found that Chasteen had died from being strangled, while the children were drowned.

Several witnesses eventually came forward to help the police piece together who the murderer was.

The arrest of Judy triggered an emotional outcry that lasted two years.

He pled insanity and confessed to committing the murders.

While in the punishment phase of the trial, Judy wanted it to be fast-paced, so he threatened the judge and jury and promised to kill again unless they sentenced him to death.

The trial ended with Judy being found guilty of the murders of Chasteen and her three children.

On February 2, 1980, he was convicted of rape and murder.

On February 25, he was sentenced to death.

Before he was sentenced, Judy told the judge, "I honestly want you to give me the death penalty. Because someday, somehow, I might get out. I think I've already showed that."

He was executed for the murders on March 9, 1981, via electrocution, becoming the first person to be executed in Indiana since 1961.

Judy was executed on March 9, 1981, aged 24, in Michigan City, Indiana in the electric chair.

His last meal consisted of prime rib, lobster tails, potatoes with sour cream, chef salad with French dressing and a dinner roll.