U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on Friday told graduates of the northern Indiana Catholic boarding school he graduated from 40 years ago that persistence is the most essential quality to success and is the only trait each personMONTICELLO – A northwest Indiana man accused of stabbing his mother and half-sister to death will undergo a psychological examination at his attorney’s request after smearing himself with feces and drinking his own urine while in county jail.
David A. Rodenbarger, 20, of Monticello is charged with two counts of murder in the early-February deaths of his mother, Michelle J. Haskins, 41, and his half-sister, Jillian E. Haskins, 6. He is being held at the Marion County Jail without bond.
Pat Manahan, Rodenbarger’s court-appointed attorney, said he has reviewed medical records and heard that Rodenbarger might have “serious mental health problems,” the Journal & Courier reported. Manahan would not say whether Rodenbarger has been diagnosed with a mental illness.
Rodenbarger is accused of stabbing them with a two-pronged meat fork and knife at the family’s home.
A White County Superior Court judge granted Manahan’s request for a psychological evaluation.
While incarcerated, Rodenbarger also physically harmed himself, appeared delusional and spent prolonged periods staring into space, his lawyer said in the request for the evaluation.
A search warrant request from Indiana State Police claims that Rodenbarger talked about being involved in “occult activity.” Detectives were allowed to review Rodenbarger’s laptop and cellphone for “any religious satanic websites visited,” according to court documents.
