Evansville woman found guilty on charges of rape, murder, criminal confinement

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) - A jury has found an Evansville woman guilty on charges of rape, murder and criminal confinement.

Heidi Carter was found guilty of possession of a handgun without a permit in late 2022, but that jury couldn’t make a decision on her other charges, including rape and confinement.

Carter’s sentencing hearing will be held on March 9 at 10 a.m.

She’s set to be held without bond until the hearing.

Police say Carter met Timothy Ivy and his girlfriend on an app, before inviting them over to her Stinson Avenue home for drugs and sex.

[Previous Story: Day 2 finished in Evansville rape trial, closing arguments set for Wed.]

Carter declined to testify on her own behalf.

During closing arguments, the defense told the jury there’s a difference between not stopping and aiding.

He said her actions were a “balancing act” to keep herself and everybody in the house alive.

Prosecutor Stan Levco then pushed the podium all the way up to the jury. In an emotional closing argument, he told them it’s not a matter of who’s more involved, but if she was involved at all, even for a second, she’s guilty.

One juror could be seen nodding their head in agreement.

The jury went back to deliberate just before 10:45 Wednesday morning, facing the task of combing through 13 testimonies, hours of video and documented messages from Carter.

After nearly 10 hours, a verdict was reached.

As it came down, there were embraces throughout the courtroom, with one of Timothy Ivy’s family members dropping to one knee as he began praying.

Vanderburgh County Prosecutor Diana Moers and the prosecuting attorney for this case, Stan Levco, each described this as a monumental victory.

“For the last 12 years I’ve been prosecuting cases around the state,” says Levco, “but it really is something special to get back here, and I really appreciated the chance to do it. It meant more to me to try this case here than it does to try a case in say, Lake County.”

“We’re glad to see a good effort and attention was paid to the case,” says Moers, “and we believe justice was served, and we just hope the families get some peace to this.”

Ex-wife and good friend of Timothy Ivy, Jamie Combs, embraced Ivy’s girlfriend as well as those around her when the verdict was released.

For her, getting answers in this second trial after seeing a mistrial the first time around was the first step in getting the closure she says was hoping for.

“It means everything, because like you said, as the clock ticked on, it felt very reminiscent of last time, and I was getting very nervous. I was worried. So, it was definitely a relief when they came back with a guilty verdict of all six counts. I mean, I’m just beside myself,” says Combs.

As the jury read off one guilty count after another, Heidi Carter watched them stone-faced.

The only reaction she showed was when she looked at her attorney and mouthed the word “how?”

During closing arguments in the morning, prosecuting attorney Stan Levco told the jury, “after 16 months, it’s time for Heidi Carter to be found responsible for what she did.”

That’s the conclusion the jury reached Wednesday night.

Carter will be sentenced on March 9.

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