Judge: Man charged in Bloomington homeless camp killing 'impulsive', 'violent'
The suspect jailed on a murder charge in connection with a Dec. 7 homeless camp killing in Bloomington, is "impulsive and violent," according to a judge who sent him to jail last year for a stabbing in Gary.
In August 2018, Craig Allen Pearson was arrested and charged with attacking two men and stabbing them in the stomach during separate incidents at an apartment complex in Gary, according to a Post-Tribune news article.
Court records show he was charged with nine felonies: two counts of attempted murder, two counts of aggravated battery with a substantial risk of death, two counts of battery by means of a deadly weapon, two counts of battery resulting in serious bodily injury and one count of intimidation.
After being in jail two months on $50,000 bond, Pearson posted the required 10% and was released in October 2018.
The case lagged throughout the pandemic and beyond, with regular continuances granted, the court docket reflects.
Murder charge: Transient man jailed on murder charge after killing at Bloomington homeless camp
Then a plea agreement filed in October 2021 dismissed all of the charges except one count of battery resulting in serious injury. Pearson pleaded guilty to the Level 5 felony, punishable by one to six years in jail, and got the minimum sentence.
Lake Superior Court Judge Salvador Vasquez approved the plea deal, and in March 2022 sentenced Pearson to one year in jail. He noted in his sentencing order that "the character of the defendant is impulsive and violent."
The judge wrote that Pearson, "unprovoked, stabbed the victim in the cheek and stomach. The victim was the defendant’s brother-in-law and the defendant was not acting in self defense." He said the other stabbing victim "passed away during the pendency of this case."
Court records show that two felony strangulation charges filed against Pearson in Lake County in 2016 were dismissed in July 2018, one month before the apartment complex stabbings.
It's unclear when 42-year-old Pearson was released from jail in Gary, when he came to Bloomington or why he was in the city.
The Monroe County Coroner's Office hasn't released the identity of the victim, whose body — with deep gashes to the head — was discovered around sundown Thursday in a homeless camp behind Wheeler Mission off West Third Street.
Police arrested Pearson Friday after witnesses identified him as the assailant. Bloomington Police Department detectives are investigating the case.
Contact H-T reporter Laura Lane at llane@heraldt.com or 812-318-5967.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Craig Allen Pearson charged in Bloomington homeless camp killing
