A Madisonville man has been charged in connection to the 1994 murder and rape of an Indiana woman.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations in Indianapolis reports 60-year old Gerald Lynn Smith has been charged with murder, murder while committing or attempting to commit rape, and rape in the brutal slaying of 69-year old Gloria Hansell who was found strangled in her Gary, Indiana home on June 17, 1994. They say, Hansell, a widow, lived alone at 3966 Buchanan Street and relied on an in-home oxygen machine due to her poor health.
The FBI stated that Smith became a suspect after DNA analysis of a male was found in the victim’s sexual assault kit that was collected at her autopsy was re-examined by the Indiana State Police Lowell Regional Laboratory. Upon further re-investigation of this case, the FBI’s Gang Response Investigative Team (GRIT) was able to place Smith in Gary shortly before Hansell’s murder and learned he knew the woman.
According to investigators, a witness reported Smith, who was 32-years old at the time of the murder, had gone to Hansell’s house on at least two occasions in the weeks prior to her murder and said he had just moved back into the area from out of state. The witness also reportedly stated on one occasion Smith asked Hansell if he could cut her grass for money, but she declined his offer. The witness stated on another occasion Hansell said Smith made unwanted advances toward her inside her house that made her uncomfortable when he tried to kiss her neck.
The FBI indicates the Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office, Gary Police Department and Lake County Police Department Crime Scene Unit assisted in the investigation.
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