Indiana
Indiana Supreme Court upholds murder conviction for Jay County woman in 5-year-old son’s death
The details in this story are disturbing. Reader discretion is advised.
JAY COUNTY, Ind. (WPTA) – The Indiana Supreme Court unanimously affirmed the murder conviction and life without parole sentence for Jay County woman Chelsea Crossland in the killing of her 5-year-old son in 2022.
Crossland was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for one count of murder in August 2023.
In late April, the Supreme Court upheld that conviction after Crossland appealed, saying they found the trial court acted appropriately and noted “overwhelming” evidence of her guilt.
The Court says Crossland claimed that she was denied an impartial jury because of pretrial publicity on her case, arguing that her constitutional right to present a complete defense was violated.
Indiana State Police shared in 2022 that they were investigating the death of 5-year-old Christian Crossland after he was found unresponsive in his Portland home on March 24. Chelsea Crossland was then arrested in the case a few days later.
According to court documents, evidence in the case showed Christian was confined to his mother’s room, was not allowed to interact with his four siblings, and was made to sleep on the closet floor.
The child was only allowed out to use the bathroom, and two siblings said they never saw their mother give him food and would try to sneak him food.
Evidence also showed that Crossland physically abused Christian, sometimes using a piece of wood and a belt.
Siblings allegedly told investigators their mother withheld food from him because he “didn’t know his ABCs”, “didn’t know like how to count to ten”, and that their mother “didn’t like him as much” as the other children, court documents say.
The abuse went on for nearly 74 days before his death, records show.
On the night the child died, documents say Crossland attempted to “feed” Christian shampoo. She then called her mother, and as she waited for her to arrive, she wrapped the child’s body in a blanket and put it in a trash bag.
Crossland’s mother arrived about two hours later and called an ambulance, and paramedics said they found the child “very emaciated.”
Crossland gave conflicting statements to paramedics and police, saying Christian fell and that she tried to revive him with CPR.
A pathologist who reviewed the child’s autopsy said there was no evidence that Christian had received CPR. The pathologist said the child weighed “a mere twenty pounds” and died from blunt-force injuries, starvation, and dehydration.
Copyright 2025 WPTA. All rights reserved.
Indiana
AwardsWatch – Indiana Film Journalists Association (IFJA) Awards: ‘Sinners’ Named Best Picture
The Indiana Film Journalists Association (IFJA) has named Sinners the best film of 2025, also awarding the film original screenplay, score, cinematography, editing and ensemble.
Paul Thomas Anderson was named best director for One Battle After Another, which also picked up acting wins for Benicio Del Toro (supporting performance) and Chase Infiniti (breakout of the year).
Here is the complete list of winners and runners-up.
Best Picture
Winner: Sinners
Runner-up: One Battle After Another
Best Director
Winner: Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
Runner-up: Ryan Coogler, Sinners
Best Lead Performance
Winner: Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme
Runner-up: Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
Best Supporting Performance
Winner: Benicio del Toro, One Battle After Another
Runner-up: Amy Madigan, Weapons
Best Vocal / Motion-Capture Performance
Winner: Will Patton, Train Dreams
Runner-up: Ebon Moss-Bachrach, The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Best Ensemble Acting
Winner: Sinners
Runner-up: One Battle After Another
Best Animated Film
Winner: K-Pop Demon Hunters
Runner-up: The Legend of Hei 2
Best Foreign Language Film
Winner: No Other Choice
Runner-up: Sentimental Value
Best Documentary Film
Winner: The Tenderness Tour
Runner-up: Orwell: 2+2=5
Best Original Screenplay
Winner: Ryan Coogler, Sinners
Runner-up: Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme
Best Adapted Screenplay
Winner: Paul Thomas Anderson, “One Battle After Another
Runner-up: Mike Flanagan, The Life of Chuck
Best Musical Score
Winner: Ludwig Göransson, Sinners
Runner-up: Jonny Greenwood, One Battle After Another
Breakout of the Year
Winner: Chase Infiniti (performer), One Battle After Another
Runner-up: Miles Caton (performer), Sinners
Best Cinematography
Winner: Autumn Donald Arkapaw, Sinners
Runner-up: Michael Bauman, One Battle After Another
Best Editing
Winner: Michael P. Shawver, Sinners
Runner-up: Andy Jurgensen, One Battle After Another
Best Stunt / Movement Choreography
Winner: Wade Eastwood (second-unit director / stunt coordinator), Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning
Runner-up: Brian Machleit (stunt coordinator), One Battle After Another
Best Special Effects
Winner: Dennis Berardi, Ayo Burgess and Ivan Busquets (visual effects supervisors) and José Granell (miniatures / models supervisor), Frankenstein
Runner-up: Michael Ralla, Espen Nordahl and Guido Wolter (visual effects supervisors) and Donnie Dean (special effects coordinator), Sinners
Original Vision Award
Winner: Good Boy
Runner-up: The Testament of Ann Lee
The Edward Johnson-Ott Hoosier Award
Chase Infiniti, One Battle After Another
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
A man wielding a knife was shot by a police officer on Sunday in Gary, Indiana.
A spokesperson for the city said officers responded to the 2100 block of Tennessee Street for a call of a suicidal man who was armed with a knife in his hand. The man had already stabbed himself a couple of times before they arrived.
Officers found the man in the east alley of 22nd and Ohio. At this time, he was standing in the alley still with the knife in his hand and refused to drop it as ordered by officers. The man then started to advance toward the officer, who shot the man three times in the arm, the spokesperson said.
The officer notified the department that shots were fired, and the man was down. The condition of the man is unknown as of Sunday night.
Other officers responded to the scene to set up a perimeter around the area. The Gary Fire Department and Lake County Crime Scene Investigation personnel were also contacted.
No further information was immediately available.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress, get help from the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. Trained crisis counselors are available 24 hours a day to talk about anything.
Safety and preparation are the keys to staying safe this winter
Officials talk about winter preparedness, safety, tips. Safety and preparation are the keys. Here are some tips.
At least 50 Indiana counties are under a travel advisory, and 20 counties were issued a travel watch for Dec. 14, following an overnight snow storm.
The Indiana Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) travel advisory map has each county shaded in red for a travel warning, orange for a travel watch, yellow for a travel advisory and gray for a county without an elevated status report on it’s current travel conditions.
Here’s how you can check your county to see where it lands on the map.
Travel advisory
According to DHS, a travel advisory is the lowest level of a related advisory.
“Routine travel or activities may be restricted in areas because of a hazardous situation, and individuals should use caution or avoid those areas,” the department says on its website.
Watch advisory
According to DHS, a watch advisory is issued when conditions are threatening to a county’s safety.
“Only essential travel, such as to and from work or in emergency situations, is recommended, and emergency action plans should be implemented by businesses, schools, government agencies and other organizations,” the department’s website states.
Warning advisory
According to DHS, a warning advisory is the highest level of a related advisory, where people may be told not to travel at all.
“Travel may be restricted to emergency management workers only,” the department’s website states.
Here’s the winter weather info you need
🚨 Indiana Weather Alerts: Warnings, Watches and Advisories.
⚡ Indiana power outage map: How to check your status.
💻 Internet outages: How to track them.
🚫 What you should and shouldn’t do when the power is out.
🐶 Your neighbor left their pet outside. Who you should call.
Indianapolis weather radar
Jade Jackson is a public safety reporter for the Indianapolis Star. You can email her at Jade.Jackson@IndyStar.com and follow her on X, formerly Twitter @IAMJADEJACKSON.
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