A Sheridan woman accused of poisoning her ex-boyfriend’s oatmeal with fentanyl before strangling him to death with his favorite necktie has been found guilty of his murder.
A jury in Hamilton County found Heidi Marie Littlefield, 42, guilty Aug. 23 on one count of murder and two counts of conspiracy to commit murder. Sentencing is set for 9 a.m. Oct. 7.
Francis Kelley was found dead in his Carmel home in January 2021, three days after he stopped responding to text messages and other communications. Kelley and Littlefield had been involved in a custody dispute over their then-2-year-old daughter.
Littlefield’s daughter, Logan Marie Runyon, testified against her mother in the trial as part of a plea agreement. Runyon’s boyfriend at the time of the murder, Robert James Walker, also testified as part of a plea deal.
An autopsy revealed that Kelley died of asphyxia due to manual strangulation/neck compression. He had blunt force trauma to the head and injuries on his hand, elbow and knees. Toxicology results revealed high levels of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, in his system.
