A man charged with killing a convicted pedophile had his initial hearing in Elkhart County Circuit court on Thursday.
Nicholas Phillip Stanley, 35, of Elkhart, was accused in the murder of Allen Cogswell, 35, of Elkhart, at the Daylite Inn in Elkhart June 24.
Elkhart police were called to the area at 12:55 a.m. for a shooting with injuries, where they found Cogswell deceased in Room 251, having been shot in the head and chest.
A witness reported it had happened about 15 minutes prior, stating he saw a white man with a long gun look in the window of the room and knock on the door, according to police. When Cogswell opened the door, the armed man began shooting, police reported. The witness and other witnesses reported the man then fleeing from the scene in the direction of Menards.
Using surveillance from Menards and from the Red Roof Inn, the Elkhart County Homicide Unit said police found a man matching the description minutes before the shooting, walking toward the Daylite Inn at 12:31 a.m. and back to the same maroon SUV at 12:53 a.m., leaving the area in that vehicle.
Police said they used the Flock camera system to capture the license plate and track it, identifying the registered owner as Bruce Stanley, of Middlebury, who resided there with his son, Nicholas, according to BMW records.
Police confirmed that Cogswell, a sex offender, was released from prison in May 2025. According to court records, Nicholas Stanley is related to a victim in that case.
Stanley told police that he last knew Cogswell to still be in prison, but it was later learned that both the dad and Nicholas knew that Cogswell was staying at the motel, the press release reads.
During his initial hearing on Thursday, Stanley was appointed a public defender, despite commentary by Elkhart County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Ashley Fair that a GoFundMe for Stanley had already raised nearly $13,000. The GoFundMe, Fair also noted, had stated that the purpose was to raise funds for Stanley’s legal counsel, but has since been changed to indicate that it will support his family’s needs.
Elkhart County Circuit Court Judge Michael Christofeno stated that the $13,000 would not go far in paying defense for a murder case anyway, and Stanley was deemed indigent and appointed a public defender.
Stanley’s pretrial conference is scheduled for July 31, trial status conference Sept. 11 and jury trial scheduled for Oct. 6.
SAMI F. HUSSEN and ASHLEY N. SEABOLT
Only one of three individuals originally scheduled for a murder trial Aug. 4 retained their position after Elkhart County Circuit Court was finished on Thursday.
Ashley N. Seabolt pleaded guilty to murder, while Sami Hussen had his jury trial rescheduled. Stephonn Sutton, who was set to be tried alongside Seabolt, did not appear in court Thursday and was not scheduled to be anyway.
Police spent nearly a month investigating the shooting death of Toby Ray Fisher, 32, of South Bend, which ultimately led to murder charges for Sami F. Hussen, 38; Ashley N. Seabolt, 41; and Stephonn T. Sutton, 36. The trio had their initial hearings in Elkhart County Circuit Court Thursday.
Elkhart police found Fisher covered in blood and not breathing in the 700 block of Monroe Street at River Run Apartments after a call for a shooting with injuries at 6:55 p.m. Nov. 26, 2024. He was pronounced dead at the scene.