Woman accused of killing her stepmother charged with murder

RENSSELAER, Ind. (WLFI) – Formal charges have been filed in Jasper County against the Rensselaer woman accused of killing her stepmother.

Judy Moore, 68, was charged with murder Wednesday by the Jasper County Prosecutor’s Office in connection to the Feb. 3 death of 77-year-old Trula Alliss.

Rensselaer police said Moore, who is the stepdaughter of Alliss, has been in custody in the Jasper County Jail since Feb. 26.

As WISH-TV sister station WLFI News reported Tuesday, Rensselaer Police Chief Jeffrey Phillips said one of the reasons she was detained was because police believed she was going to leave the state.

According to court documents, Moore was the primary caretaker for Alliss and went to Alliss’ apartment on Feb. 3 to deliver groceries. Documents said an argument broke out between the two after Moore told Alliss she was moving to Georgia.

Autopsy results indicated the cause of Alliss’ death was blunt force trauma. The report said Alliss was hit in the head about 9 times. Also, evidence showed there was no foul play at the crime scene – neither forced entry into the apartment, nor any signs of stolen property.

Alliss was found by a friend dead in her bedroom on Feb. 5. The friend was worried about Alliss and went to check on her after not having heard from her in a few days.

Law enforcement from three agencies – Rensselaer Police Department, Jasper County Sheriff’s Office and the Indiana State Police – pulled together to investigate.

The prosecutor’s office said Moore’s case has been filed in Jasper Superior Court.

Anyone with any additional information on the case is asked to call the Rensselaer Police Department at 219-866-7602.