Man sentenced to 8 years for role in 1975 murder of North Webster teen

ALBION, Ind. (WNDU) – One of two men arrested last year and charged in the 1975 murder of a North Webster teen has learned his sentence.

According to our reporting partners at the Times-Union, 69-year-old John Lehman was sentenced Friday to eight years in prison for conspiracy to commit murder. A murder charge against Lehman was dropped as part of a plea agreement.

Lehman and 69-year-old Fred Bandy Jr. were arrested in February 2023 for their role in the death of 17-year-old Laurel Jean Mitchell five decades earlier.

Mitchell was found drowned in the Elkhart River in Noble County on August 7, 1975, the morning after she failed to return home from work at a church camp.

According to the Times-Union, Bandy was found guilty of first-degree murder earlier this week. His sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 22 in Noble Circuit Court.

Sarah Mitchell Knisley, Laurel Jean’s sister, told the Times-Union after the sentencing that she didn’t think the eight-year sentence was enough. The eight years were reportedly based on the conviction Lehman could have received in 1975, when the crime was committed.

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