Indiana man pleads guilty to all charges in elderly couple's 2021 killings

A southwestern Indiana man has pleaded guilty to murder and other charges in the shooting and robbery of an elderly couple in their home.

Austin Kusturin, 30, of Mount Vernon admitted to all 11 charges on Wednesday, a day after a jury was selected for his trial in the deaths of John and Elizabeth "Betty" Hall, both 74. His sentencing is set for July 18.

Posey County Prosecutor Thomas Clowers said the plea deal with Kusturin spares the Halls' relatives the burden of sitting through a trial that would put his "heinous and senseless crimes" on display. He said Kusturin could face a prison sentence of up to 170 years.

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"My office will be seeking the maximum sentence, which would effectively be life in prison," Clowers said in a statement.

A relative checking on the Halls’ welfare found their bodies in November 2021 in their home in Mount Vernon, an Ohio River town west of Evansville. Indiana State Police were able to recover their cellphones near Kusturin's residence. A gun belonging to John Hall was found in a storage unit Kusturin shared, and Kusturin's thumbprint was found on John Hall's phone, an affidavit said.

Kusturin's attorney, Glenn Grampp, said his client told him he had decided to plead guilty Wednesday morning before opening statements were set to begin. He said Kusturin did not elaborate on why.

Grampp said that while his client's guilty plea means he won't face the possibility of life in prison without parole, Kusturin "is looking at a substantial amount of time" in prison.