Murder charges were filed against two people almost a year after body found in an alley

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Patrick Scott Norman and Charles Seymour Bressler were charged with murder in the killing of Terry Robinson, who was found dead on Nov. 25, 2022, in an alley by Green Street in Lafayette.

At the time of the Robinson's death, police were uncertain as to who might have killed him, but after months of investigation, police narrowed his accused killers to Norman and Bressler, according to the probable cause affidavit.

Norman was charged with three counts of murder; attempting to deal methamphetamine; arson; obstruction of justice; unlawful carrying of a handgun; unlawful transfer of a handgun; and operating a vehicle as a habitual traffic violator. In total Norman has been charged with nine felonies in relation to the murder of Robinson.

Bressler was charged with three counts of murder and attempting to deal methamphetamine. In total, Bressler received four charges in relation to the murder of Robinson.

On Nov. 25, 2022, the Lafayette Police Department received a call around 2:08 p.m. from someone reporting a dead body in an alley near her home. When police arrived, they discovered the man, Robinson, 52, of Lafayette, had been shot in the head, according to the affidavit.

When police searched the area, they located a Speer .40 caliber Smith and Wesson cartridge case in the alley near Robinson’s body and two cell phones in nearby areas, according to the affidavit.

Earlier that same day, around 12:19 p.m., Lafayette Police and Fire Department responded to a vehicle that had been engulfed in flames. After firefighters extinguished the fire, and completed their investigation of the vehicle, police ran the plates on the vehicle and determined that the vehicle was registered to Robinson, according to the affidavit.

Near the vehicle, police also found a lanyard that had several keys on it, but none of the keys were related to the vehicle, according to the affidavit.

While examining Robinson's Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicle records, police determined that Robinson also had a 1990 Chevrolet truck registered under his name. On Dec. 1, 2022, police located the truck at his girlfriend’s house, according to the affidavit.

The girlfriend informed the police that the truck had been parked at his home prior to the homicide and identified that the lanyard was owned by Robinson. After evaluating the keys, it was determined that the keys belonged to the truck, according to the affidavit.

Police swabbed the keys to determine if they could find any DNA evidence. After receiving a report on March 1, 2023, from the Indiana State Police Laboratory, police were able to find the DNA of three people on the keys, Robinson, Norman and Bressler, according to the affidavit.

On Nov. 25, 2022, police received a call from a father informing officers that his son, Charles Bressler, had been with Robinson when he heard two gunshots go off, but was unable to identify the shooter. Bressler explained to police that he and Robinson left Bressler’s residence to go to a gas station. But before making it to the gas station, Robinson took a detour, stopped the car and told Bressler’s to wait inside, according to the affidavit.

Bressler saw Robinson exit the vehicle and then heard Robinson exchange words with another individual before Robinson began to yell “no”, “don’t” and “stop”, according to the affidavit.

Earlier that day, police also reviewed city camera footage and saw Robinson’s vehicle being driven towards the location where police and firefighters found and extinguished it.  While reviewing the footage, they identified Patrick Norman walking away from that location and labeled him as a possible suspect, according to the affidavit.

On Nov. 29, 2022, police spoke with Bressler again, and he admitted that Norman was at Bressler’s residence with Robinson and Bressler prior to the homicide. He also admitted that the three left Bressler’s house and left for the gas station on the day of the homicide, according to the affidavit.

Bressler explained that Robinson and Norman were meeting up with a person to purchase methamphetamine. The two left the vehicle, and then shortly afterward, Bressler heard the screaming and gunshots. Bressler ran towards the gunshot and found Robinson on the ground, and then proceeded to run home. Bressler did not see Norman again after that night,” according to the affidavit.

Police discovered that after the homicide Norman attempted to get rid of the weapon used in the homicide of Robinson. Police found that an individual purchased a firearm from Norman on either Nov. 27 or 28, 2022.  The person bought the gun from Norman for $100 and 2.5 grams of heroin, according to the affidavit.

On Nov. 26, 2022, Norman also confided in a friend that he “might have killed someone,” according to the affidavit.

On June 19, 2023,  the Lafayette Police Department received a report from the Indiana State Police Laboratory indicating that the cartridge case found near Robinson’s body was fired by the gun owned by Norman, according to the affidavit.

Noe Padilla is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. Email him at Npadilla@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter at 1NoePadilla.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Murder charges filed almost a year after a body was found in an alley