'Prom night murder' case delves deeper into father's connections with Florida mob

SOUTH BEND — After testifying at a Wednesday hearing that will determine whether or not Jeff Pelley will get a new trial in the 1989 killing of Pelley’s father, mother and two stepsisters, Jacque Delp had an unusual request for St. Joseph County Superior Judge Stephanie Steele.

“I haven’t been in a room with my brother for eight years, can I hug him?” she asked.

Steele then called for a five-minute recess while the pair embraced.

Delp’s emotional request stood in contrast to a day of disjointed testimony and objections surrounding the question of whether Pelley’s lawyers provided him effective counsel at his original trial in the 'prom night murders' case.

In a post-conviction evidentiary hearing this week, Pelley has argued that his lawyers failed to follow up on leads, and prosecutors withheld key testimony about his father’s illegal financial activities in Florida.

Pelley, now 50, has already appealed his 2006 conviction, meaning this week’s four-day hearing is his best remaining chance at receiving a new trial.

Rob Pelley mob connections

One of the witnesses Pelley’s trial lawyers could have interviewed was Kathy Hawley, a close friend of Rob Pelley’s when the Pelleys lived in Cape Coral, Fla.

Under questioning from Frances Watson, Jeff Pelley’s current attorney, Hawley said she and Rob Pelley worked together at a bank. At one point in the mid-1980s, Pelley confided in her that he had hidden some computer discs from the bank that caused him to worry about his job and his family.

“He didn’t want to give me a lot of detail because he was concerned they would come and question me about things,” Hawley recalled. “But he told me because we were close.”

Adding to Rob Pelley’s possible connections to organized crime in Florida, an investigator from Florida testified that a business partner of Hawley’s husband was murdered — shot in the head and buried in cement — less than a year before the Pelley family was killed.

However, prosecutors objected to much of Hawley’s testimony, arguing her hearsay conversations with Rob Pelley would not be admissible at a new trial and shouldn’t be considered by Steele.

On Tuesday, Steele heard testimony from Toni Beehler, who said Rob Pelley told her the mob was chasing him.

Pelley legal team: Hopes to show prosecutors lied, hid evidence in 'prom night murders' case

Ineffective counsel

Why Alan Baum, Jeff Pelley’s lead counsel during the trial, didn’t interview witnesses in Florida is unclear.

On Wednesday, Baum said he recalled sending one of his investigators to Florida to research tips given by Delp, but that the endeavor turned out to be “a dead end.” In conflicting testimony, Pelley’s legal investigator on the case, Scott Campbell, said he was never told to look into leads in Florida.

Ultimately, Steele will decide whether Baum’s failure to interview witnesses about Rob Pelley’s dealings in Florida means he did not provide Jeff Pelley the constitutional right to effective counsel.

The rest of Baum’s testimony included probing by Watson about why he didn’t call certain witnesses at Pelley’s trial and why he didn’t object to certain pieces of evidence that was presented to jurors.

Baum lives in California and was hired by Pelley’s family when he was arrested in Los Angeles in 2002. In response to Watson’s questions, Baum said he thought he did his best, but admitted with hindsight he should have noticed certain discrepancies.

“I think it’s obvious now that I didn’t note that or use that in the trial,” Baum said, referring to a police report that says no clothes were taken from the washing machine in the Pelley house. The report conflicted with prosecutors’ statements that a pair of jeans was washed and found in the machine, Watson asserted.

Current magistrate Andre Gammage, who was Pelley’s local counsel at the trial, is expected to testify Thursday, as are the prosecutors in the original case.

‘I am Jessica’: New book describes impact of 1989 Lakeville murders on surviving sister

Pelley’s sisters split

While Delp testified on her brother’s behalf Wednesday, other members of the Pelley family, including Jeff Pelley's surviving stepsister, Jessica Pelley, feel he is guilty of the murders.

Jessica, now Jessi Toronjo, was 9 years old and away at a sleepover the night of the murders. She feels her brother is guilty and said in a statement to the Tribune she hopes he remains in prison.

“The family and close friends of Dawn, Janel, and Jolene Pelley believe that Jeff is exactly where he belongs — serving out his life behind bars,” the statement reads in part. “And we are each left to serve a lifetime without our loved ones. We have faith in the legal system and the prosecution team, and sincerely hope that justice will not be undone.”

Email Marek Mazurek at mmazurek@sbtinfo.com. Follow him on Twitter: @marek_mazurek

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Lakeville, Indiana murder case explores Florida mob connections