One of two brothers police say were involved in the robbery and shooting death of an Austin coin and jewelry shop owner has been charged with murder.
Scott County Prosecutor Jason Mount announced Friday he had filed official charges in Scott Circuit Court against James Matthew Caudill, 21, of Austin.
Caudill was charged with murder, felony murder, robbery causing serious bodily injury, robbery with a deadly weapon, resisting law enforcement, obstruction of justice, carrying a handgun without a license and an additional penalty for the use of a firearm during a crime.
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The charges are related to the Nov. 7 robbery of John’s Coin and Jewelry in downtown Austin and the shooting death of the store’s owner, John M. Turner, 78, of Austin.
Caudill also faces several charges related to a robbery Oct. 11 at Fuel Mart in Austin. They include robbery, carrying a handgun without a license, an additional penalty for the use of a firearm during a crime, pointing a firearm at a person and criminal confinement.
Also Friday, Caudill’s brother, Christopher M. Caudill, 31, was charged with assisting a criminal, theft, obstruction of justice, carrying a handgun without a license, dealing in methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine and possession of paraphernalia.
The brothers remain incarcerated at the Scott County Jail in Scottsburg. The investigation is continuing with further charges and arrests possible, said Sgt. Jerry Goodin with the Indiana State Police Sellersburg Post.
Sometime after 3:30 p.m. Nov. 7, Turner was located by a family member in the shop, and that person called 911. Austin Police Department officers and Scott County Emergency Medical Services personnel responded to what they initially thought was a medical emergency.
When a doctor and the Scott County Coroner’s Office examined Turner at the hospital, they noticed a wound on his head that was not consistent to a medical issue as first thought and was more consistent with foul play.
The Austin Police Department then turned it into a death investigation and requested assistance from the Indiana State Police. Crime scene technicians and detectives with the state police processed the scene and began following leads, Goodin said.
On Monday, an autopsy was performed on Turner at the Kentucky Medical Examiner’s Office in Louisville, Kentucky. That revealed the preliminary cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head.
The official cause of death will not be determined until all of the autopsy results are complete, which typically takes up to six weeks, Goodin said.
About 2:30 p.m. Monday, officers with the Indiana State Police, Austin Police Department and Scott County Sheriff’s Department went to 5221 Water Tower Road on the north end of Austin to execute a search warrant and locate James Matthew Caudill and his girlfriend, Ginger Cox, 23, of Austin.
Goodin said officers went to the residence to arrest James Matthew Caudill and Cox, who were wanted on auto theft charges in Scott County, and to search for items tied to the incident that led to the robbery and shooting death of Turner. Goodin declined to say what led police to conduct that search.
When officers arrived at the residence, the Caudill brothers were found in a wooded area near the home and taken into custody by troopers. Cox was found hiding inside of the residence and also was taken into custody.
After a search was completed on the residence and property, money, jewelry and other items were located that police said were associated with the robbery and murder of Turner.
The brothers; their mother, Patricia A. Caudill, 50, of Austin; and Cox were arrested following that search.
Cox faces charges of auto theft and unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle. Patricia Caudill faces a charge of assisting a criminal.
The two women were being held at the Scott County Jail pending initial hearings.