for
Victims Education, Legislation & Justice
Michael Overstreet sentenced to death
On Sept. 26, 1997, Kelly Eckart, an 18-year-old Franklin College student, left her job at the Franklin Wal-Mart,
headed for her rural Boggstown home, and disappeared.
Her abandoned car was found halfway between the store and her home. Four days after she disappeared, on
Sept. 30, her body was found in rural Brown County. She had been raped and strangled.
On Nov. 6, 1997, police took Michael Dean Overstreet of Franklin into custody as a suspect in Eckart's murder.
Murder charges were officially filed against Overstreet on Nov.10.
Many of the hundreds of tips received by police implicated Overstreet, but their big break was a statement by
Overstreet's brother Scott. Scott Overstreet told police he met his brother early on Sept. 27, 1997, and Michael
told him he had "grabbed this girl." The brothers drove to Camp Atterbury where Scott left Michael and the girl.
Several of Eckart's belongings were found near that location.
Johnson County Prosecutor Lance Hamner decided to seek the death penalty against Overstreet following DNA
testing. The charges against Overstreet included rape, criminal deviate conduct, confinement and felony murder.
On Jan. 5, 2000, Overstreet's four children asked a judge to allow them to change their last name to their
mother's maiden name. The request was initially denied because Overstreet had not yet been tried and convicted.
After the trial was over the judge ruled that the "rights of a single mother outweigh those of an incarcerated
father" and granted the name change request.
Overstreet's trial began May 1, 2000, in Johnson County. His defense had asked for a change of venue, but that
request was denied. The jury had been chosen in Clark County to hear the case.
On May 13 jurors found Overstreet guilty of all charges against him and on May 18 recommended he receive the
death penalty. Johnson Superior Court Judge Cynthia S. Emkes agreed and on July 31 sentenced him to
INDIANA'S DEATH ROW.
(Indianapolis) - The man convicted of raping and killing a Franklin College student several years ago was back in
court Monday. Michael Dean Overstreet is on death row.
Kelly Eckart, 18, disappeared in the fall of 1997. She vanished after leaving work at a Wal-Mart store. Four days
later, Eckart's body turned up in Brown County.
In 2000, Michael Dean Overstreet was convicted of her abduction, rape and murder. At the trial, Judge Cynthia
Emkes said the victim had been tricked by Overstreet to stop her car as she drove to her Shelby County home
from work.
On Monday, Kelly's parents, Dale and Connie Sutton, watched in a Johnson County courtroom as Overstreet
began the latest in a series of appeals.
"We prepared ourselves. We talked about this as a family long before today. We knew that there was gonna be
a lot of obstacles to overcome in a capital case. It's a house of cards and it's up to the defense team to knock
out some of the bottom cards and poke holes and sink the boat to speak,” said Dale Sutton.
Overstreet's attorneys hope to win a new trial and overturn his death sentence. Overstreet would not answer
when News 8 asked him whether he thought he could win the appeal. His attorney, though, says Overstreet
deserves a new trial. "Well, there's more evidence that needs to be heard regarding the crimes themselves, and
there's much more evidence about Mr. Overstreet that needs to be carefully assessed by this judge,” said
Thomas Hinesley.
Not so, according to the state. "Mr. Overstreet was proved guilty with overwhelming evidence and we expect that
we will be able to convince the post-conviction court that that is the case in these proceedings," said James
Martin, deputy attorney general.
Kelly Eckart's parents just hope the proceedings are over quickly. "It just all comes flooding back, where we had
pushed it to the back of our minds, where it wasn't an every day thing where we thought of all the bad; it's right
up front. It's right there all over again,” said Connie Sutton, the victim’s mother.
By Pam Elliot, 24-Hour News 8
A Shelby County couple says they expect it will be ten years before they see their daughter's killer put to death.
This week they heard attorneys argue another round before the Indiana Supreme Court.
Michael Dean Overstreet is on death row for abducting, raping and murdering Kelly Eckart, an 18-year-old
Franklin College student, in 1997.
The Indiana Department of Correction says prisoners do not have Internet access, but when we Googled
Overstreet’s name, we discovered a page that appears to be an attempt by Overstreet to lock in a pen pal. It
reads, "I am looking for someone to correspond with that is interested in forming a friendship."
"If someone is weird enough to want to write to him let 'em have at it," said Connie Sutton, Kelly Eckart’s mother.
Sutton and her husband have been in and out of court inching toward an execution date.
“I think often about him being in there and that's where he belongs but I wish the process would hurry up and be
done,” said Sutton.
In jail, offenders are "under no circumstances allowed access to any outside communications networks…including
the internet," according to an Indiana DOC executive directive dated October 2, 2000.
A DOC spokesperson speculated someone on the outside set up Overstreet's page. I-Team 8 discovered the
page is linked to an organization called Lamp of Hope. That group's web site has lists by state of hundreds of
prisoners on death row looking for pen pals.
"When I first saw it, I did a lot of research and was amazed to find out what kind of following people on death row
actually have," said Dale Sutton.
The Suttons say to counter what is negative on the internet they've come up with their own website, N.O.V.E.L.
justice.com. Not only is there a tribute to their daughter on it, there's also information that they hope will be helpful
to other crime victims.
By Indiana code, the Department of Correction is restricted from reading letters addressed to prisoners unless
they're deemed dangerous or believed to be tied to a crime, so there's no way for us to know what kind of
response, if any, Overstreet is getting.
That doesn't make a difference to Connie Sutton. "He might have changed, but I still haven't forgiven him," she
said.
According to their site, the Lamp of Hope project was set up by death row prisoners in Texas. The organization's
site says persons under 18 should not seek correspondence with the prisoners. I-Team 8 emailed the executive
director listed and never heard back.
Madame Walker Theatre
Indianapolis - 617 Indiana Avenue
For nearly thirty years, countless volunteers and professionals have dedicated their lives to helping victims of
crime and making our communities safer for all of us. The road to victim justice has led its travelers toward
creative, collaborative approaches that recognize the domino effect crime has on individuals, families, businesses,
and communities across Indiana. When we work in cooperation, we ensure that victims no longer fall through the
cracks in systems that are designed to protect them. On Monday, April 23 at 10:00 a.m., the Indiana Criminal
Justice Institute will kick off our state's celebration of Crime Victims' Rights Week to recognize the struggle and
victories of crime victims during the second annual Dare to Dream event at the Madame Walker Theatre in
Indianapolis.
Speakers will include: Lieutenant Governor Joe Kernan; Karen Freeman-Wilson, former attorney general and
Director of Indiana Crime and Drug Control Policy; Connie and Dale Sutton, mother and
stepfather of slain Franklin College student Kelly Eckart; and Catherine O'Connor,
Executive Director of the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute. The event will also honor youth from across the state
who have "dared to dream" what it would be like to live in a violent-free society. Their works of art and literature
will be displayed during the event and each of them will be awarded prizes and recognition. Organizations who
assist victims across the state will also be recognized and have an opportunity to win $1,000 to assist in providing
direct services to victims.
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