Prosecutor: New Info Follows Recantation In Behrman Probe

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Now that a woman has told investigators she fabricated an account of how Indiana University student Jill Behrman died, other people have come forward with "good information," Monroe County Prosecutor Carl Salzmann said Wednesday.

Wendy Owings, 28, who once told authorities that she and two other people were in a truck that struck Behrman in May 2000, now says she made up the story, authorities say.

Salzmann said he isn't ready to completely disregard Owings' original account, but her recantation has opened the way for new information to come to light.

"Because (the confession) is kind of off the table now, people that felt they were either closed out or didn't come forward because their information didn't fit the media theory have come forward, and we're getting some good information right now -- people who have never come forward before," Salzmann said.

Behrman's bones were discovered March 9 by a hunter in a wooded area north of Paragon, about 30 miles southwest of Indianapolis. The 19-year-old student had last been seen riding her bicycle alone in May 2000 near Bloomington.

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Sources close to the investigation told RTV6 last month on condition of anonymity that authorities had focused on searching a Monroe County creek last year -- 20 miles away from where Behrman was eventually found -- after Owings said she and two others were involved in Behrman's death.

Owings allegedly told investigators that she and the other two -- including Uriah Clouse, 27 -- took Behrman to Salt Creek. Owings allegedly said they stabbed her there, wrapped her in plastic and dumped her in the water.

But this week, a law enforcement source and Owings' lawyer, Stuart Baggerly, told RTV6's Ben Morriston that Owings admitted making up the account.

Baggerly would not go into details as to why she recanted. But he indicated Owings' latest position might not be correct, either.

"As the prosecutor said, if one individual recants something they have said, that doesn't necessarily mean it didn't happen," Baggerly said.

Salzmann said Owings' original account still needs to be examined.

"The story may still have kernels of truth that we need to continue to look at," Salzmann said. "It's less plausible now, certainly, but nothing is off the table."

Salzmann said anyone who was a suspect in the Behrman case is still a suspect.

Behrman Suspect May Be Released In Unrelated Case

Clouse, who was identified by authorities last year as a suspect in the Behrman investigation, could be released from jail April 10 under a plea deal in an unrelated case.

He pleaded guilty Wednesday to a reduced charge in a case in which he had been accused of sexually assaulting a Bloomington woman in 2001.

Prosecutors dropped a felony rape charge in exchange for Clouse's guilty plea to a misdemeanor charge of battery.

Monroe Circuit Court Judge Marc Kellams sentenced Clouse to one year in jail. Because Clouse received credit for time served while awaiting trial, he is scheduled to be released April 10.

The battery charge includes no allegation that sexual contact took place, said Clouse's defense attorney, John Plummer III.

Clouse has not been charged in the Behrman case, but has been interviewed several times by investigators.