COLUMBUS, Ind. — A public defender for Bobby Neil Truitt II, 19, has asked for a continuance of today’s change of plea hearing.
Truitt was formally charged in October 2020 with Level 1 felony murder and rape and Level 6 felony auto theft in connection with the death of Sharon Lovins, 64, who lived in Waynesville.
Lovins was found dead in a bedroom in her home Sept. 28. According to a probable cause affidavit, Truitt had been staying with Lovins after she bonded him out of the Johnson County Jail on Sept. 26 — two days before her body was discovered.
Truitt is accused of first sexually assaulting Sharon Lovins, 64, before killing her in late September of last year, according to court documents.
An autopsy revealed Lovins died from blunt force trauma to the head and asphyxia due to manual strangulation, Bartholomew County Coroner Clayton Nolting said.
If found guilty on all charges, the defendant could face a prison term of more than 100 years.
The next hearing in the case is set for 11 a.m. July 19, according to Bartholomew Superior Court 1 officials.
For more on this story, see Tuesday’s Republic.
