Murder trial starts Monday

A Portland man will go to trial next week for the murder of his father.

Jeremy W. Kelly, 51, is charged with the death of 72-year-old Gary Kelly.

His trial is scheduled for Monday through June 9. (Two previous trial dates have been postponed.) He arrived Wednesday at Jay County Jail and is being held without release.

Kelly is also charged in Jay Circuit Court with robbery resulting in serious bodily injury, a Level 2 felony.

Gary Kelly was found dead at his home, 912 S. Vine St., about 1:12 p.m. Feb. 25, 2022. His death was later ruled a homicide, and an autopsy indicated he suffered blunt force trauma to the head, face and abdomen.

Kelly is also charged in Wayne Circuit Court with a Level 4 felony for unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon and a Class B misdemeanor for criminal mischief. According to the online Indiana court system, he entered a guilty plea last week and will attend a sentencing hearing for the case July 3.

Kelly arrived at a house in Milton in February 2022, told the homeowner he was “the devil” and ordered her to get in the car he was driving, according to a Wayne County Sheriff’s Office press release. The homeowner called 911, and Kelly left the property. He was later arrested on the west side of Richmond. A handgun and shotgun were both found inside of the car he was driving, which had been stolen. Kelly was arrested the same day police found his father deceased.

He has a criminal history in Jay County dating back to 1995. Kelly has been charged in the past with domestic battery, strangulation, criminal confinement, operating a vehicle while intoxicated and resisting law enforcement.

In Indiana, murder carries a penalty of 45 to 65 years with an advisory sentence of 55 years, and robbery carries a sentence between 10 and 30 years.