VALPARAISO, Ind. (AP) — A northwestern Indiana jury has convicted a man of murder for fatally stabbing a female bartender at the tavern where he worked as a bouncer.
The Porter County jury deliberated for about 10 hours before finding 53-year-old Christopher Dillard of Hobart guilty Wednesday night in the slaying of 23-year-old Nicole Gland. The Portage woman was stabbed more than 20 times before her body was found in her SUV behind the Upper Deck Lounge in Chesterton in April 2017.
Prosecutors said Dillard was frustrated that Gland rebuffed his sexual advances after he delivered drugs to her.
The Indiana Court of Appeals threw out a videotaped confession that Dillard gave shortly after his arrest because police repeatedly ignored his request for an attorney.
Dillard's sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 2.