In the quiet community of North Judson, Indiana, the life of 35-year-old Cord Jefferey Colgrove, a white male, was tragically cut short on the evening of March 3, 2017. He was found in the 1400 west block of 400 South with a gunshot wound to the face and was pronounced dead at the scene. This violent act sent ripples of shock and grief through the community and left his family searching for answers.
The investigation into Colgrove's death quickly led authorities to two individuals:
30-year-old Edward Shea Blackburn and 39-year-old Augusta Hadden, who was identified as Colgrove's ex-girlfriend. The pair was located and arrested in Mishawaka the following day at a Springhill Suites. Friends and family of Colgrove, while mourning their loss, remembered him as a talented tattoo artist, a skilled handyman and mechanic, and an avid outdoorsman who loved to fish and hunt. He was described as a kind and generous person who would do anything for anyone.
Following the arrests, Edward Blackburn was charged with one count of murder. Augusta Hadden was initially charged with assisting a criminal, with court documents alleging she disposed of a cell phone from the truck driven by Blackburn after the shooting. However, the felony charge against Hadden was later dismissed.
Edward Blackburn's case proceeded to a seven-day trial in Starke Circuit Court. His defense team argued that the shooting was an act of self-defense, claiming that Colgrove had sent threatening messages to Hadden, who was dating Blackburn at the time, and had been causing property damage. The prosecution, however, presented a different narrative, and the jury ultimately found Blackburn guilty of murder. During the sentencing hearing, the judge noted Blackburn's criminal history and the fact that he was on probation and legally barred from owning a firearm at the time of the shooting. Blackburn was sentenced to the maximum of 65 years in prison. He later appealed his conviction, but the Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court's decision.
