Murder at 1318 North LaSalle

A brutal triple murder.
A cold case stretched across decades.
A search for justice shadowed by lost evidence and competing theories.

On December 1, 1971, three young men were found dead inside a house on North LaSalle Street in Indianapolis. Bound, bludgeoned, and killed with shocking violence, Robert Gierse, Robert Hinson, and James Barker became the center of one of the city's most notorious unsolved crimes. More than fifty years later, no one was ever convicted. How does a crime this savage remain unresolved? And what happens when a cold case murder investigation is shaped as much by lost evidence and institutional failure as by the crime itself?

Murder at 1318 North LaSalle is narrative true crime and investigative nonfiction rooted in archival reporting, police records, court documents, and long-form case reconstruction. It follows the victims' final days, the business tensions surrounding B&B Microfilm Service, the life insurance motive that drew scrutiny, the yellow car seen near the house, the bloody boot print left behind, and the widening circle of suspects and theories that haunted the case for decades. Was this personal rage, a contract killing, or a case that became harder to solve with every passing year?

The book also traces the afterlife of the investigation: the failed prosecutions of the 1990s, the controversy surrounding witness credibility and amateur involvement, and the confession letter that later pushed authorities toward an official closure while leaving major questions unresolved. This Indianapolis true crime account does not chase easy certainty. Instead, it offers a victim-centered, historically grounded look at an unsolved triple murder, the fragility of evidence, and the criminal justice failures that can alter a case forever.

For readers who want historical true crime with depth, this book delivers more than a crime scene recap. It offers layered suspects, forensic context, courtroom fallout, and a serious examination of how truth can be obscured by time, mishandling, and competing narratives. The result is a true crime investigation that is gripping, sober, and built for readers who care about both the victims and the process that failed them.

This Book Is For Readers Who...

• want a victim-centered true crime investigation grounded in records and reporting

• are drawn to cold case murder books with layered suspects and shifting theories

• enjoy historical true crime set in the American Midwest

• care about evidence, forensic limitations, and the long shadow of lost case files

• follow stories about criminal justice failures, failed prosecutions, and unresolved questions

• prefer narrative nonfiction that balances atmosphere, research, and restraint

Perfect For Readers Who Enjoy...

• unsolved murder narratives with real historical context

• investigative nonfiction built from police, court, and media records

• cold case stories involving business conflict, motive, and institutional breakdown

• true crime books that examine both the crime and the investigation

• serious, non-sensational accounts of notorious local cases

Some cases never stop asking for answers.
Open the door at 1318 North LaSalle and decide what the evidence leaves behind.