The murder trial of Bruce Mendenhall, a 73-year-old former truck driver from Albion begins today in Marion County Superior Court in Indianapolis. The prosecution has decided not to seek the death penalty, which is infrequently pursued in Indiana. Given Mendenhall’s age, the likelihood of lengthy appeals is low.
Mendenhall is already serving two life sentences and an additional 30 years for previous murder convictions in Tennessee. In October 2021, he was transferred from a Tennessee state prison to the Marion County Jail to face charges for the 2007 murder of Carma Purpura.
Presiding over the case is Judge Angela Davis, with Mendenhall represented by defense attorney Theodore J. Minch. The start of the trial has faced a three-year delay due to COVID-19 restrictions and complications with public defenders withdrawing from the case.
Carma Purpura was tragically shot in the back of the head at the Flying J Truck Stop in Indianapolis. Police found suspicious blood on Mendenhall when they contacted him in Nashville, along with blood in the cab of his truck and a blood-soaked bag. Mendenhall indicated that Purpura’s body had been discarded in a nearby dumpster, but it was never located due to routine incineration of the dumpsters’ contents.
Mendenhall was charged with Purpura’s murder on April 10, 2008, despite her body not being discovered at that time. DNA evidence linked blood found in his truck to Purpura, and personal belongings including her cell phone, ATM card, and clothing were also recovered. It wasn’t until August 15, 2011, that her body was found in Barren County, Kentucky.
Following the Indianapolis trial, Mendenhall is set to face a fourth trial concerning the murder of Lucille “Gretna” Carter, who was allegedly shot and found with a trash bag over her head near a service road in Birmingham, Alabama.
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