James Richard Chelf II is being held without bond after the fatal shooting of his wife, Sandra Sue Chelf.
YODER, Ind. — A murder case filed against a 79-year-old Allen County man is moving through court after police said his wife was found shot to death inside their mobile home.
James Richard Chelf II was formally charged with murder after an initial hearing in Allen Superior Court 6, according to reports citing online court records. He is accused of killing Sandra Sue Chelf, 77, on May 22 at Woodlake Estates Mobile Home Park in Yoder. The case now shifts from the emergency response and crime scene investigation to the court process, where prosecutors must prove the charge and the defense can contest the evidence.
The criminal case began when officers with the Allen County Sheriff’s Department and Indiana State Police were dispatched to the 100 block of Woodlake Run. The sheriff’s department said the call came at about 10:08 p.m. for a shooting inside a residence. Police arrived, detained an adult male at the scene and found an adult female inside the home with gunshot wounds. Medics pronounced her dead there. The sheriff’s department later said the detained man was James Richard Chelf II of Yoder and that he had been taken to the Allen County Jail after an interview with investigators.
Charging documents described in local reports added more detail about the moments before police arrived. They said Chelf went to a neighbor’s house after the shooting and said he had shot his wife. The neighbor called 911. When officers reached Chelf’s home, they asked whether anyone else was inside. Chelf allegedly answered, “Just my dog and my dead wife.” Police then entered and found Sandra Chelf. The neighbor’s call, the officers’ encounter with Chelf and the discovery inside the home are expected to form part of the prosecution’s timeline if the case proceeds to trial.
The coroner’s findings supplied the official death ruling. The Allen County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as Sandra Sue Chelf after an autopsy and family notification. The office said she had been found unresponsive on the bedroom floor, that Southwest Allen County EMS pronounced her dead and that her cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds. Her manner of death was ruled homicide. The coroner also said she was the 13th homicide for Fort Wayne and Allen County in 2026. That number places her death within the county’s annual homicide record, but the court case focuses on the specific evidence against Chelf.
Investigators reported finding a revolver inside the home. Court records cited by local outlets identified it as a .38 Special Smith & Wesson revolver left on the dining room table. The gun allegedly contained three spent casings, two live rounds and one empty chamber. That evidence may be tested for fingerprints, DNA, operability and ballistic links to bullets or fragments. Prosecutors may also use photographs of the weapon’s location and testimony from the officers who recovered it. Public reports do not say whether a search warrant was needed after the initial emergency entry or whether additional items were seized.
Chelf’s alleged statements could become a major point in court. Reports say he told police that he and Sandra Chelf had been arguing but that he could not remember the subject of the argument. He allegedly said, “I just lost my mind,” “I just went nuts,” and “I have no reason why.” Those statements may help prosecutors tell a story of what happened inside the home, but the defense can raise questions about context, wording and how the interview was handled. No public report reviewed said Chelf had entered a plea beyond the early court appearance, and no defense explanation has been released.
The murder charge carries the highest stakes in the Indiana trial court system short of cases involving additional special allegations. Prosecutors will need to show that Chelf knowingly or intentionally killed Sandra Chelf. Evidence of an argument, a firearm, the number of shots and alleged admissions can all matter, but guilt is not decided by police reports. A judge will oversee the pretrial process, including bond status, evidence deadlines and any motions. Chelf remained held without bond, meaning he was not released from jail while the case continued. Future court entries may show whether hearings are scheduled for discovery issues, plea matters or trial setting.
The case also leaves unanswered issues that may become important later. Authorities have not publicly explained the motive, the length of the couple’s marriage, the ownership history of the revolver or whether there were prior calls to police involving the home. They have not released audio of the 911 call or body camera video from the response. No public statement from Sandra Chelf’s family was included in the reports reviewed. The dog mentioned in Chelf’s alleged answer to officers has not been described in official statements, and no agency has publicly said what happened to it after the scene was secured.
Woodlake Estates Mobile Home Park is a residential community in southwestern Allen County, near Indianapolis Road and Fort Wayne International Airport. Police did not announce any continuing danger to the public after Chelf was detained. The sheriff’s department said the adult female was found inside the residence and the adult male was arrested after being interviewed. The coroner’s office said the incident remained under investigation by Allen County police, the prosecutor and the coroner. That joint investigation is expected to support the court case through medical findings, police reports, photographs and any forensic testing still pending.
As of the latest public updates, James Richard Chelf II remained in custody and charged with murder in Sandra Sue Chelf’s death. The next stage is the continued pretrial process in Allen Superior Court 6, where evidence and hearing dates will shape the path toward trial or another resolution.
Author note: Last updated Monday, June 22, 2026.