Indiana man sentenced to 62 years for shooting roommate in the face, hiding body in his own bedroom

INDIANAPOLIS (TCN) -- A man who was recently convicted of killing his roommate and hiding his body in his own bedroom has been sentenced to 62 years behind bars.

James Grossnickle, 54, was found guilty of felony murder and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon on March 18, WTHR reports. He was sentenced April 10.

On September 4, 2024, police were called to a home after receiving a report of a body found in a bedroom. Arriving officers discovered the remains of Craig Jacobs, 40, with multiple gunshot wounds to the face.

According to court documents obtained by WTHR, Jacobs appeared to have been dead for some time. An investigation revealed Jacobs had been missing for several days. Friends became concerned after they heard Grossnickle mention he had shot Jacobs, so they broke down Grossnickle’s bedroom door.

WXIN reported at the time of the murder that Grossnickle and Jacobs were roommates. When concerned friends came over to see if they could contact Jacobs, Grossnickle told them Jacobs was in his room, but they should not see him because he was in a bad mood. According to court documents obtained by the outlet, “[Grossnickle] started rumbling and made statements to the extent of ‘Em a crazy motherf-----. I’ll shoot you in the head and I’ll send a bag with body parts to your family.’”

After he was arrested and charged, the gun used to shoot Jacobs was found in Grossnickle’s car. During his interview with police, Grossnickle admitted to his actions, saying he had shot Jacobs several times, and that he had secured his body in the bedroom by screwing the lock shut, according to WTHR. WXIN reports Grossnickle claimed he had shot Jacobs in self-defense, saying he had wrestled a knife away from Jacobs, who then attempted to get a gun out of his back pocket.

After Grossnickle’s conviction, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office said in a press release, “The defendant attempted to hide his crimes and act like nothing had happened, but he could not escape the truth.”

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