The murder of Rayna Rison
La Porte, La Porte County, Indiana · 1993
Overview
Rayna Rison, 16, worked after school as the kennel girl at the Pine Lake Veterinary Hospital in La Porte, Indiana. She disappeared on March 26, 1993, after her shift. Her car was found that evening beside a road with its hood up, and a ring inside was later identified as belonging to Jason Tibbs, a friend who had dated her briefly in middle school or junior high. Her body was found in a pond off Range Road on April 27, and a forensic pathologist concluded that she died of strangulation. Her brother-in-law, who had pleaded guilty to molesting her, was indicted for her murder, but the State later dismissed the charge, and the case stayed unsolved for fifteen years. In March 2008 a man serving a sentence for an unrelated murder told police that, at age 14, he had seen a body in the trunk of a car in his parents' pole barn on the night she vanished. His account led investigators to the car's driver, a friend of Tibbs, who was granted immunity. Tibbs was arrested on August 23, 2013, at age 38. After a trial of about two weeks and nearly 25 witnesses, a jury convicted him of murder on November 7, 2014, and he was sentenced to forty years. State appeals courts affirmed, and a federal judge denied habeas relief on June 1, 2023.
How it was solved
The case was solved by a witness who spoke up fifteen years late. For years the leading suspect was Rayna's brother-in-law, who had pleaded guilty to molesting her and who was indicted for her murder; the State later dismissed the charge. In March 2008 a man in prison for an unrelated murder contacted police. WISH-TV reported that he told authorities he saw Jason Tibbs and another teen with Rayna's body in the trunk of a car right after she went missing. The Indiana Court of Appeals wrote that he had been 14, in the loft of his parents' barn, and that he recognized her from her picture in the newspaper the next day. His account led investigators to the car's driver, a friend of Tibbs, whom they granted immunity in exchange for his information. In 2013 the State charged Tibbs with murder. At the trial in October and November 2014 the driver testified as an eyewitness, and the other man testified about the barn. The defense attacked both witnesses: the driver's statements had changed over the years, and the other man had asked about a prison transfer before his 2008 interview. The defense also argued that the brother-in-law was responsible, but the trial court excluded some of that evidence. Other witnesses placed Rayna in the clinic parking lot after six, and a woman testified that Tibbs told her, while Rayna was still missing, that he had killed her. The jury convicted Tibbs on November 7, 2014. State courts affirmed in 2016 and 2019, and in June 2023 a federal judge denied his habeas petition.
Sources
- Jason Tibbs v. State of Indiana, No. 46A03-1501-CR-19 (Ind. Ct. App. Sept. 8, 2016)
“In November 2014, a jury found Tibbs guilty of murder. The trial court sentenced Tibbs to forty years in the Department of Correction.”
- Jason Tibbs v. State of Indiana, No. 19A-PC-1085 (Ind. Ct. App. July 30, 2019) (memorandum decision)
“the State's case against Tibbs was extremely strong and included eyewitness testimony.”
- Tibbs v. Zatecky, No. 1:20-cv-01564-JMS-MJD, Order Denying Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus (S.D. Ind. June 1, 2023)
“Because Mr. Tibbs has not shown a reasonable probability of a different trial result absent these alleged errors, his habeas corpus petition is denied.”
- Judge: Indiana cold case murder suspect should not get new trial
“Tibbs was arrested in 2013, five years after investigators received a tip from a prison inmate. The inmate told authorities he saw Tibbs and another teen with Rison's body in the trunk of a car right after she went missing.”
- UPDATED: Arrest made in 1993 murder of 16-year-old Rayna Rison
“A LaPorte man was arrested Friday morning during a traffic stop on one count of murder. Jason L. Tibbs, 38, is accused of killing 16-year-old Rayna Rison in 1993.”
- Graphic photos shown in day four of Jason Tibbs murder trial
“Witnesses included a relative of an eyewitness, police officials, the person who discovered Rison's body, and one of her former co-workers.”
- Jason Tibbs found guilty of murdering Rayna Rison
“Jason Tibbs has been found guilty of murdering Rayna Rison in LaPorte County. Friday evening, a jury read that verdict inside a LaPorte County courtroom.”
- Tibbs found guilty in Rison murder
“After 21 years, Jason Tibbs has been convicted for the murder of Rayna Rison. On Friday, jurors found Tibbs, 39, guilty of strangling 16-year-old Rison to death on March 26, 1993.”
- Justice for Rayna
“When her body was found in a pond off Range Road on April 27, 1993, he kept the first two promises.”
- Tibbs defense alleges deal was withheld
“Jason Tibbs, 40, was found guilty in trial last year for the murder of 16-year-old Rayna Rison and is currently serving a 40 year prison sentence.”