Sullivan County – Thursday, November 4, 2021, a sentencing hearing was conducted in Sullivan Superior Court in State of Indiana v. Susan Brown. Prosecutor Ann Smith Mischler charged Susan Brown, age 67, on August 3, 2020, with murder after she shot her ex-husband, Faron Deece Brown, on July 13, 2020, in Carlisle, Indiana. The parties submitted a Negotiated Plea Agreement to the Court whereby the Defendant pled guilty to a lesser offense of Voluntary Manslaughter and sentencing was left to the discretion of the Judge with a cap of 17.5 years.
The victim’s son consented to the terms of the plea agreement and made a Victim’s Impact Statement at the sentencing hearing. He advised the Court that “he wanted closure for his family.” He said the hardest day of his life was explaining to his 7-year-old that his grandfather was gone. Chief Deputy Prosecutor John Michael Hiatt argued that the Defendant should receive the maximum term of the capped sentence as it is the advisory sentence for a Level 2 Felony, and the Defendant’s actions in this case more than justified such a sentence. He stressed the State of Indiana also dismissed a firearms enhancement in this case as part of the plea agreement. Chief Deputy Hiatt stated, “In a case like this, there is never a perfect outcome, but I just hope the victim’s family received justice and closure today.” At the conclusion of the sentencing hearing, Judge Hugh R. Hunt sentenced the Defendant to a $100 fine and 17.5 years in the Department of Corrections.
Prosecutor Mischler said, “The facts and circumstances of this case support a 17.5 year sentence for the Defendant. The State is completely satisfied with the sentence imposed by the Judge today.”
Putnamville State Police Post Investigative Commander First Sergeant Jason Fajt commended everyone involved in the investigation and acknowledged the cooperation between Indiana State Police and the Sullivan County Prosecutor’s Office. First Sgt. Fajt complemented Investigative Squad Leader Sam Stearley, Lead Detective Angie Hahn, and Detectives Don Curtis and Jason Schoffstall for completing a thorough investigation. Fajt stated, “Our detectives handled a large volume of major cases during the height of the pandemic, this being one of them. They, along with Crime Scene Investigators Sgt. Brandon Mullen and Sgt. Michael Organ put together over a 200 page report detailing the events involving the murder of Deece Brown”.
