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Last updated on Monday, July 23, 2018
(BEDFORD) - Jury selection begins Monday morning in the trial of Lincoln Pickett. He is charged with the murder of 29-year-old Kamie Ratcliff.
Lawrence County Superior Court II Judge William Sleva will preside over the trial after Judge John Plummer III had to recuse himself from the case because of a conflict of interest. Judge Plummer had represented Lincoln many years ago.
Jury selection will begin at 8 a.m.
Public defender Joseph Lozano is representing Pickett.
Pickett, 36, of Mitchell, is charged with murder; obstruction of justice, abuse of a corpse, two counts of false informing and failure to report a dead body.
Indiana State Police say Pickett shot Kamie Ratcliff and then burned her body on his property at 3413 U.S. 50 West.
He then lied to police about what happened.
Both were arrested after officers found Ratcliff's body in a bonfire at the couple's home on January 28, 2016.
Jasmine Pickett, 32, is charged with obstruction of justice, false informing and failure to report a dead body.
The Mitchell Police Department had been searching for Ratcliff since her family filed a missing person's report on Jan. 24, 2016. She was last seen on Jan. 18 at a CVS pharmacy.
Lincoln admitted to police that he placed her body in the fire but originally denied that he had anything to do with her death.
The couple told police at that time that Ratcliff had "freaked out" in the couple's vehicle and shot herself. Since then Lincoln's sister informed police that he had admitted to shooting "a buddy in the face" after Ratcliff began hitting Lincoln in the head.
Pickett's sister told police that she had not seen Lincoln for about six months, when suddenly he appeared at her home the morning of January 22. She told police that he was driving his red Chevrolet Blazer.
"Lincoln claimed he had not slept or ate in two weeks, and he was pacing and bouncing," according to the probable cause affidavit.
She told police Lincoln had a "Taurus gun in his pocket." Lincoln then allegedly gave the gun to his sister.
The two drove to Lincoln's house. On the way to Pickett's home they stopped at a gas station. While parked in the lot, Lincoln's sister told police that she saw blood splattered on the driver's side rear window of the Blazer.
Once at the Pickett's home, Lincoln allegedly backed the Blazer into the garage.
According to the probable cause affidavit, on January 24, Mitchell Police Officer Matt England went to the Pickett home to talk to them about Ratcliff's disappearance. Lincoln told police Ratcliff could be in Ellettsville with a man named Dillon.
Then on January 25, Officer England returned to the Pickett home and the couple told him they had left to go to Walmart to buy diapers and formula and when they returned Ratcliff was gone.
On January 28, police returned to the home, this time with a warrant to search for Ratcliff's belongings. When officers arrived there was a fire burning behind the home.
"Within the fire, officers located what appeared to be bones," the affidavit states.
According to the Lawrence County Police log, at 2:42 p.m. officers requested Huron Volunteer Fire Department to the Pickett home to extinguish a small bonfire.
Officers then secured a search warrant for Pickett's home. Inside they found a loaded handgun under a mattress and three long guns.
Pickett was charged with Ratcliff's murder, unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent offender; obstruction of justice, abuse of a corpse, two counts of false informing and failure to report a dead body.
Because of the additional charge of murder, Lincoln Pickett is being held without bond.
His wife, posted a $755 cash bond on January 31 and was released from jail. She is facing charges of failing to report a dead body, false informing and obstruction of justice.
She filed for divorce on August, 22, 2016. The divorce was final on November 2, 2016.
Her next court appearance is scheduled for July 23, at 1 p.m.
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