Indiana appeals court affirms murder convictions in killing of pregnant woman, fetus (2024)

The Indiana Court of Appeals has affirmed the murder convictions of a Kentucky man sentenced to 94 years in prison for killing his pregnant girlfriend and the 35-week fetus she carried inside her.

Derron Fuller, 29, was found guilty last year by a Lake County jury of two counts of murder for causing the deaths of Rochelle Stubblefield, 20, of Merrillville, and Fuller's unborn child, as well as an additional charge of obstruction of justice, according to court records.

Records show Stubblefield texted her mother on Nov. 10, 2015, that she would be meeting Fuller near his Gary residence after Stubblefield attended classes and a basketball game at Calumet College of St. Joseph in Whiting.

Stubblefield and Fuller eventually got together at Williams School, adjacent to Fuller's home, and "got into it." Fuller later told friends he attempted to stab Stubblefield and ultimately choked her to death, then dragged her body into a nearby wooded area on the school grounds, according to court records.

Records show police subsequently found Stubblefield's shoes, asthma inhaler and broken eyeglasses by the school. Cadaver dogs also alerted to the presence of human remains in the wooded area, but two excavations failed to find the body of either Stubblefield or her fetus.

In his appeal, Fuller argued there was insufficient evidence to convict him of two counts of murder. Fuller also challenged the admission of numerous pieces of evidence presented at his trial and claimed he was denied due process because his phone and other recordings seemingly were lost by police.

The appeals court, in a 3-0 ruling, considered and rejected each of Fuller's assertions in a 21-page decision written by Judge Cale Bradford.

Bradford said on behalf of the court that plenty of evidence linked Fuller to the killings, including his two confessions to friends, taking and disposing of some of Stubblefield's belongings, moving her car following their argument, past statements about his displeasure with Stubblefield's pregnancy, and his hiding out in a friend's basem*nt for several days prior to being arrested.

"Since Nov. 10, 2015, Stubblefield has not been seen or heard from, and there is no indication that Stubblefield’s child was ever born alive. Stubblefield’s Social Security number has not been used, she has not crossed a United States border and her DNA profile has never triggered a match in the missing-persons database. Stubblefield’s Indiana driver’s license expired in 2020 and was not renewed, and she never applied for a new driver’s license in any of the 50 states," Bradford said.

"Based on the totality of evidence presented, a jury could have reasonably concluded that Fuller had murdered Stubblefield."

The appeals court also said any potential errors concerning evidence admitted or missing at trial were harmless, or ineligible for review on appeal, and the overwhelming weight of the evidence favors Fuller's guilt.

"We conclude that the state produced sufficient evidence to sustain Fuller's convictions for two counts of murder," Bradford said.

Fuller still can consider asking the Indiana Supreme Court to consider reviewing his case. Otherwise, his earliest possible release date from prison, assuming good behavior, is Dec. 21, 2090, according to the Indiana Department of Correction.