59-year-old charged with murder of man in Carroll County

DEER CREEK, Ind. (WISH) – A 59-year-old man has been arrested on a murder charge in the death of a 62-year-old man in this community in northeastern Carroll County.

James L. Haas, 59, of Burnettsville, was arrested Friday afternoon, said a news release issued Friday night by the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office. Burnettsville, located in White County, is about 60 miles northwest of Indianapolis and a half-hour drive from Deer Creek.

Around 10:48 a.m. Thursday, a woman called 911 to report that she’d arrived at her home in the 7000 block east of County Road 470 North and found her boyfriend unresponsive. Investigators arrived to find Richard Mark Houchin, 62, was dead.

Authorities considered the death suspicious because items inside the home where the man’s body was found appeared in disarray, the sheriff’s office said Thursday.

Investigators continue to await results of an autopsy done Friday, the release said, but said Houchins’ “fatal injuries were due to head trauma.”

Haas was being held without bond. Indiana State Police assisted with the arrest.

No additional details were released as the investigation continued.

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