On a spring morning in April 1979, the life of Steven Timothy Judy, a 24-year-old male, took a turn that would ultimately lead to his own demise. On that day, he was driving when he noticed 23-year-old Terry Lee Chasteen stranded on the side of the road with her three young children. Presenting himself as a helpful stranger, Judy offered assistance. After pretending to work on her car, he deliberately disabled it further by removing a coil wire from the engine.
When the vehicle inevitably wouldn't start, he offered Chasteen and her children, five-year-old Misty Ann, four-year-old Steve, and two-year-old Mark, a ride.
Instead of taking them to safety, Judy drove the family to a secluded area near White Lick Creek. There, he subjected Terry Chasteen to a brutal assault, raping and strangling her. When her children began to cry out, he drowned each of them in the creek. The discovery of the four bodies later that day sparked a horrified outcry from the community. Witness accounts quickly led investigators to Judy, who was promptly arrested. He did not deny his involvement; instead, he confessed to the horrific acts.
During his trial, Judy's defense team entered a plea of insanity, citing a deeply troubled childhood filled with violence and abuse. However, court-appointed psychiatrists determined that while he had an antisocial personality disorder, he was legally sane at the time of the murders. The jury dismissed the insanity defense and found him guilty on four counts of murder on February 2, 1980. In a chilling turn during the sentencing phase, Judy himself argued for his own death. He threatened the judge and jury, warning them that if he were ever released, he would kill again.
Having waived all of his appeals, Steven Judy's end came on March 9, 1981. He was executed by electrocution at the Indiana State Prison. His case was notable as he was the first person to be executed in the state of Indiana in two decades. Before his death, he expressed no remorse for his crimes. His execution was met with a mixture of public reactions, with some holding vigils in protest while others, including the ex-husband of Terry Chasteen, expressed relief that justice had been served.
