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IInvestigators in a rural Indian town long believed that a missing safe would uncover the truth about what happened to a retired farmer who was found shot to death in his own home.
When 85-year-old Lowell Badger was found dead on the bedroom floor of his Sullivan County home in December 2012, police said it was a burglary turned fatal.
A television was stolen. Other electronics were later found dumped on back roads. But one item, a heavy metal safe taken from the basement, was never seen again.
investigators believed The safe revealed the motive for the murder – and for more than a decade, they kept asking the same question: What was inside the safe that justified murdering an elderly man?
Despite an extensive search of ponds, lakes and nearby rivers, the safe was never found. And for years, there were no people responsible for Badger’s murder.
The case remained cold for 13 years until new arrests more than a decade later finally revealed what happened inside Badger’s home that cold December night.
But one question remains: what happened to the safe?
a serious discovery
The retired farmer was found dead inside his home on West County Road 350 North in Sullivan County on December 8, 2012. Indiana,
He was shot during what investigators quickly determined was a robbery.
It is believed the murder took place between 9pm on Friday, 7 December and 5am the following morning. Badger’s son Alan found his father’s body early that morning.
Police said a black 46-inch Sony Bravia television was stolen. So a light to medium dark brown John D. Brush & Co. model was secured, measuring 23½ inches in length, 17 inches in depth, and 17 inches in width.
the matter goes cold
Despite hundreds of tips and a $30,000 reward offered for information leading to an arrest, the case stalled.
Years later, a locked safe matching the description was discovered inside an abandoned farm silo several miles from Badger’s home.
Its serial numbers were partially damaged, which gave immediate hope. But when the property owners forced it open, documents inside linked it to the previous landowners – not Lowell Badger.
Investigators still believe it may contain important evidence or confirm what the killer was looking for that night.
But the real safe remained missing.
New focus, new lead
In 2023, the Indiana State Police refocused their attention on the case, assigning full-time detectives to re-examine evidence and re-interview witnesses.
This was followed by several statements from more than a dozen anonymous individuals, which revealed new clues.
According to court documents, during a party on the evening of December 7, 2012, a witness heard William Ray Grimes, Richard Taft and another man allegedly say they were going to break into a house looking for money.
Later that night, witnesses said the men returned with a flat-screen television in the bed of a truck.
On the morning of December 8, Grimes received a phone call from a man asking for a ride to town for Taft.
The witness found Taft hiding behind a building in tall grass. Taft said he was left behind and needed to get out of the area quickly. When the car approached a law enforcement vehicle, Taft told the driver to move away from the lights.
A few days later, after watching news coverage of Badger’s murder, the witness recognized the spot where he had picked up Taft. According to several witnesses, Taft later described his role in the crime.
One man told police that Taft admitted to participating in the “killing” and robbery of an old man, and said that he was too afraid to shoot someone else, so he took the gun and shot Badger himself.
Taft reportedly said that the safe was thrown into a creek behind a relative’s house.
Another witness recalled Taft crying and screaming during the car ride, talking about an older man saying he “didn’t want to get hurt the way the old man got hurt.” At the time, the witness did not yet know about Badger’s murder.
Over the years, Taft reportedly told different versions of the story – sometimes claiming that another man shot Badger, sometimes saying that Grimes was the killer, and sometimes admitting his own involvement. Investigators noted these discrepancies in the probable cause affidavit.
Two arrested after more than a decade
In April 2024, a grand jury indicted William Ray Grimes on charges of murder, burglary and conspiracy to commit theft. Grimes, already incarcerated on unrelated charges, was formally issued a warrant to be booked into an Indiana Department of Correction facility.
Three months later, a second arrest occurred.
Richard D. Taft, 39, was charged with murder and two counts of theft resulting in bodily harm. He was arrested at the Michigan City Correctional Facility, where he is serving a sentence for a separate conviction. His estimated release date is 2031.
A probable cause affidavit cited interviews with 58 witnesses, many of whom described Taft as “emotional” and “crying” in the months following Badger’s death.
inside the case
A Sullivan County jury ultimately found Grimes guilty of murder, burglary and conspiracy to commit theft, and added a firearms enhancement to the charges.
During the trial, prosecutors relied heavily on the testimony of witnesses. Forensic experts testified that Badger died from a .22 caliber gunshot to the temple, with analysis of blood stains indicating that he may have been standing when he was shot.
Taft testified for the prosecution, admitting his involvement in the robbery and claiming that he had seen Grimes shoot Badger at close range. He refused to testify in exchange for a reduced sentence.
The defense challenged Taft’s credibility, highlighting his previous denials and criminal history, and argued that there was no physical evidence directly linking Grimes to the scene.
In May, the jury returned a verdict of guilty. In June, Grimes was sentenced to 120 years in prison – 70 years for murder and 50 years for conspiracy. The judge cited the “heinous nature” of the crime in imposing the maximum sentence. But Grimes maintained his innocence and said he would appeal.
After the sentencing, Lowell Badger’s son Alan spoke publicly about the long road to justice.
“We’re lucky we have a community that supports us, we’re lucky we have a family that supports us, we’re lucky we have a church that supports us,” he said. “There are a lot of days when you think you’ll take a step forward, and the next day you take two steps back. It’s been a long journey.”
Victim remembered as ‘the kindest person ever’
Lowell Badger was widely known and loved in his community.
A retired farmer, he raised three children with his wife, Nelly, who died in 2008. He devoted much of his retirement to Kingsley Memorial United Methodist Church, where he had been an active member since 1960.
He also served for decades as the District 7 Director of the Sullivan County Credit Union, the Island Levee Conservancy District and the Farm Bureau.
A neighbor described him as “the kindest man I ever met.”