Unsolved murder of Frank Halcarz profiled on Cold Justice

Frank Halcarz smiling in a family pic
Frank Halcarz Sr was brutally bashed to death with a sledgehammer at his Indiana home. Pic credit: Oxygen

Cold Justice is investigating the murder of World War 2 veteran Frank Halcarz Snr., who was beaten to death and robbed by an unknown assailant at his home in Lake Station, Indiana.

On October 31, 2007, the remains of 89-year-old Halcarz were discovered lying face down in a pool of blood in an enclosed porch at his home.

Halcarz’s family had last seen him on October 27, and it’s believed he’d been lying dead for several days before he was discovered.

The police concluded that the veteran had been bringing groceries from his car into the house when someone came up behind and bashed him on the left side of the head with a 5-pound miniature sledgehammer.

The investigators suspected the killer had laid in wait for Halcarz before initiating the attack.

The cops lamented the undignified manner in which this kind-hearted veteran had his life cruelly taken from him.

Lake Station police worked hard to find Frank Halcarz killer

At the time, Police Chief Mike Stills said, “We’ve been working ’round the clock, and they’re not going home anytime soon.”

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The murder weapon was retrieved from a wooded area near the crime scene a few days later.

The cops initially suspected Brandon Scroggin was the killer. The 24-year-old was a relative of the victim through marriage and was living in a trailer at the back of Halcarz’s property.

Scroggin and Halcarz had had an argument over money, and the police believed the younger man had been stealing from his older relative. Chief Stills explained, “Scroggin and Halcarz had had a falling out… We confirmed Halcarz’s accounts were used.”

Suspect Brandon Scroggin was not charged in Frank Halcarz murder

The suspect was arrested in a local bar on November 1. However, he was not arrested for the murder but because of an outstanding warrant for trespassing.

Scroggin was never charged, and it is not clear if the police found evidence exonerating him or if they did just not have enough evidence.

Mugshot of Brandon Scroggin
Brandon Scroggin was considered an early suspect in the murder of Frank Halcarz. Pic credit: Porter County Sheriff’s Department

In later years, Scroggin was convicted of auto theft, possession of drugs, intimidation, and arson. He is currently serving time but is expected to be released next year.

In the meantime, the mystery of Halcarz’s murder remains unsolved. Kelly Siegler and the Cold Justice crew will team up with Lake Station detectives this weekend to examine the case with a fresh perspective.

The new series of Cold Justice airs Saturday at 8/7c on Oxygen.

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