A charge of assisting a criminal has been dropped against a former Milford teacher in connection with a double murder in Syracuse.
Joan DeHart, 51, was charged with assisting a criminal after police allege she agreed to lie about her son, Kyle DeHart, and his friend Brandon Woody’s whereabouts during the time of the 2015 shootings.
In exchange for dropping the charges, Joan DeHart agreed to surrender her state teaching license and “not engage in the teaching profession for the rest of her life,” according to court records.
Kosciusko Circuit Court Judge Michael Reed signed the order to dimiss the charges Wednesday,
The Indiana Department of Education will forward the information to the National Clearinghouse of Educator License Suspension and Revocations, a national database.
Woody and Kyle were convicted of two counts of murder, Oct. 7 in the shooting deaths of Joshua Knisley and Tara Thornburg. They were sentenced to 120 and 110 years in prison, respectively. Both men have appealed their convictions.
A third man Thomas Hursey, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on 2 counts of robbery in connection with the murders.
In February of 2015, the three men went to Thronburg’s residence with plans to steal marijuana. A confrontation over payment for the pot ensued and Woody shot Thornburg and Knisley.
Thornburg lived long enough to make it down stairs and call 911 and identifiy Woody to police. She died the next day.
After the slayings, they returned to the DeHart residence to burn their clothes outside the residence and then spent the night at the house.
The next morning several news reports reported police were looking for Woody.
Joan DeHart allegedly told the boys she would act as their alibi and drove them out of town.
Woody was arrested in Joan DeHart’s SUV in Mishawaka.
