UPDATE:

William Boles was convicted of murder and sentenced to 60 years in the Department of Correction with a 981-day jail credit.

ORIGINAL STORY:

INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis man has been found guilty of murder in relation to the 2019 killing of his girlfriend.

William Boles, 65, was found guilty of killing 49-year-old Kelly Rohr in a jury trial on Wednesday.

Just before 7 p.m. on June 9, 2019, IMPD officers found Kelly Rohr unresponsive on the bathroom floor of a home she shared with Boles. A probable cause affidavit listed numerous visible injuries including “two hematomas on the left side of her forehead, bruising and marks on her neck, bi lateral bruising to the right shoulder and left forearm, redness and bruising of the knee bi lateral and a pattern on her stomach and thighs from where she had been lying on the carpet.”

Police were called to the house to conduct a welfare check after Rohr’s daughter had not heard from her in more than 24 hours, something that was highly unusual.

Court documents show officer Eric Snowden came to the front door and identified himself as police with no answer. He said he heard a “muffled scream” from inside the home and then saw a man, identified as William Boles, hiding behind the couch who ran to the back door.

After detaining Boles, police found Rohr facedown in the bathroom. At the time she was breathing on her own but otherwise unresponsive. She was taken to the hospital in “very critical condition.”

Boles told investigators he and Rohr were watching a movie and drinking the night before when they got into an argument. He claimed Rohr got violent with him and threw something at him, and he may have slapped or pushed her.

He claimed Rohr tripped on the carpet on the way to the bathroom and fell forward onto the floor. Boles told police she had been that way since 2 a.m., and he checked on her a few times but she wouldn’t wake up.

When asked why he didn’t call for help, Boles said he though Rohr “just passed out and would be okay.” He claimed Rohr drank an entire 375 ml. bottle of Crown Royal the night before..

Another concerned family member tried to check on Rohr before police were called, and Boles told them she was still asleep. This was around noon. Family thought it was unusual because Rohr usually wakes up early.

Interviewers noticed several marks on Boles’ forearms and top of his head. He claimed he got them while working as a mechanic. However towards the end of the interview, court documents show Boles said he was “defending himself.”

Police say they did not see any blood on the bathroom floor where Rohr was found, however what appeared to be blood and hair was found in the hallway outside the bathroom. A ripped and bloody t-shirt was found near the kitchen trash. Boles claimed the shirt and blood was his.

While in the hospital, doctors realized Rohr had suffered a stroke at some point during the incident. She was pronounced dead at 11:43 a.m. on June 10. An autopsy showed she died from 37 blunt force traumatic injuries that included blood pooling on her brain. Her manner of death was ruled a homicide.

Boles is due to be sentenced on May 16.