Better Newspaper Contest

Best News Coverage Under Deadline Pressure/Category 1 First Suzannah Couch Brown County Democrat (Nashville) Justice Claims Victory Wonderful quotes from the family while also giving the ac- cused his fair comment. Second Andy Heuring The Press-Dispatch (Petersburg) Twelve year-olds fall through ice, drown Thoughtful, sensitive coverage of a tricky news story that does a good job of setting the scene and providing details. Third Suzannah Couch & Sara Clifford Brown County Democrat (Nashville) Church defaced with hate message Fair and comprehensive coverage of a controversial topic. Best News Coverage with No Deadline Pressure/Category 2 First Suzannah Couch Brown County Democrat (Nashville) Good Kids Bad Choice Not only was this article well written, it touched on a unique subject that the community might not know of otherwise and touches on Taboo subjects that would be passed by if not at- tacked head-on. Second Suzannah Couch Brown County Democrat (Nashville) Help wanted: Mental health care lacking in county jail Third Kate Wehlann The Salem Leader No Bail for Risinger Best Ongoing News Coverage/ Category 3 First Suzannah Couch & Sara Clifford Brown County Democrat (Nashville) Seeking justice for Hannah Wilson Well written-easy to follow the case. Detailed. Second Suzannah Couch & Sara Clifford Brown County Democrat (Nashville) School funding challenges Lots of data included. Very detailed. The writers provided very useful information for the readers. Third Suzannah Couch & Sara Clifford Brown County Democrat (Nashville) Early learning for all? Good information. Great use of a guest editorial. Division 2 Suzannah Couch Brown County Democrat (Nashville) Robin Wilson looked in the eyes of the man convicted of murdering her daughter. She had questions she wanted Daniel Messel to answer: why her daughter? Where did he cross paths with her? How did he get her in his car? Where was he intending to take her? What was his "end game"? "You robbed me of seeing how beautiful she will look on her wedding day, and I will never know what it feels like to rock her babies to sleep," she said. "There's a hole in my family that can never be filled." 'I didn't do it' The 51-year-old Messel maintained his innocence when he addressed the court at sentencing Sept. 22."I am sorry for the Wilson family's loss, but I didn't do it. If it was my daughter, I would want to know what really happened," he said. Messel, a Bloomington resident, said he was not presumed innocent until proven guilty. "A fair trial wasn't on the agenda; just a conviction," he said. Hannah Wilson's body was found in a vacant lot on Plum Creek Road in April 2015. The 22-year- old was days away from graduating from Indiana University. She had been out celebrating with friends that night before she disappeared. A jury convicted Messel of murder Aug. 10. A cellphone was found at her feet. It was Messel's, police said. Security camera videos from multiple places in Bloomington and Brown County showed a vehicle similar to his around the times and in the areas Hannah went missing and her body was found. Police said his clothing had blood on it — his and Hannah's — and hairs and blood with her DNA profile were found in his car, too. 80-year sentence Judge Judith Stewart sentenced him to 80 years in prison — 65 years on the murder sentence and an additional 20 for being found to be a habitual offender by the jury that convicted him. The family had asked he receive the maximum sentence — 85 years — and Hannah's father, Jeff Wilson, requested he be placed in solitary confinement. "I have no compassion for him; the court shouldn't either," he said. Messel received credit for 517 days already served. He will be eligible to earn one day of credit for every three served, the judge said. He must also pay Hannah's father $19,316.69 in restitution for funeral expenses and lost wages, and $15,135 to Hannah's mother. "I call this a 'never' event," Jeff said at sentencing. "It's beyond belief and an experience you never thought would ever happen to you in a million years." Suzannah Couch Brown County Democrat (Nashville) When he started his teaching career, Shane Killinger didn't picture himself high-fiving students who were celebrating 90 days of being clean from heroin. But that's the reality for the Brown County High School principal and at other schools across Indiana. "We celebrate with those kids because we're very proud — not proud of where they've been, but proud that they've straightened their lives back up," Killinger said. "At the end of the day, we know that there are — and we hate to admit this — but yes, we know there are students who are doing drugs and have issues. "You just do everything you can to help them, or if you have to step in and have a consequence, then you have to do that as well." On April 20, the Indiana Youth Institute and the Brown County Community Network hosted a Youth Worker Cafe at Brown County High School to address heroin and other drug use in the county, and to share statistics. Almost 50 percent of American high school students have abused a drug of some kind, said Terry West, Brown County Community Corrections officer. Nationwide, more than 60 percent of teens reported that drugs of some kind are kept, sold and used at their school. Roughly 3 out of every 100 students have used heroin, he said. Karen Little, with Desert Rose Recovery and Great Life Recovery Group, and West also spoke about the effects that heroin and other drugs, like marijuana, have on children; and they gave information on detox and treatment options. Using drugs has an especially negative effect on adolescents because brains are not fully developed until a person is in their early 20s, Little said. "If the brain isn't fully developed, then you add drugs and alcohol, they're not going to have that system of decision-making to tell them, 'If marijuana is OK, if cigarettes make me feel good, marijuana makes me feel good, why don't I just try heroin?' "See why we're seeing a problem?" Little said. Truths and consequences Nashville Police Assistant Chief Tim True said town police respond to reports of drugs on the Nashville schools campus a couple of times a month. Justice claims victory Seeking justice for Hannah Wilson Good kids, bad choices For the complete story, visit hspa.com. For the complete story, visit hspa.com. Suzannah Couch & Sara Clifford Brown County Democrat (Nashville) His cellphone at the feet of a murdered college student. Her hair and blood in and on his vehicle. Her DNA on his clothing. A garbage bag of bloodied clothes in his hands at the time of his arrest; a bloodstained Indiana University sweatshirt in the back of his SUV. All pointed to the guilt of Daniel Messel in the death of 22-year-old IU student Hannah Wilson last April. And that's the verdict a Brown County jury reached today after a seven-day trial and four-and-a-half hours of deliberation. "I am glad we got something. Obviously it's not Hannah, but it's some justice and I am very happy with the result," Prosecutor Ted Adams said outside the courthouse. The Wilson family, holding hands, sighed in relief and shed tears as the guilty verdict was read. "I needed him off the streets. He needed to be off the streets," said Robin, Wilson's mother. Wilson's father, Jeff, said he was mentally exhausted. "I have nothing to compare it to. I'm glad it's over," he said. Jurors also decided Messel should be charged as a habitual offender, which would add an additional six to 20 years to his sentence. While making that decision, jurors looked over court documents stemming from Messel's felony battery conviction in 1990, and battery with a deadly weapon and battery causing serious bodily injury, both felonies, in 1996. All convictions were in Monroe County, where Messel was living at the time of his arrest in April 2015. Adams said he will be asking for the maximum sentence of 85 years at Messel's sentencing hearing Sept. 22. Messel was emotionless as the verdict was read. He sat with his hand by his face, blocking his view of the jury. His phone and the DNA were among the pillars of the state's case. Wilson's DNA was found on Messel's jeans and one shoe. The odds of another DNA profile matching hers was one in 8 trillion, Indiana State Police DNA analyst Michael Raymond testified. "You know the saying, 'clothes make the man'? in this case, clothes marked a man," Deputy Prosecutor James T. Roberts told the jury during closing arguments Aug. 10. For the complete story, visit hspa.com. Page 21

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