Man charged in wife's beating death

May 4, 2007 06:03 AM EDT


Linsey Davis/Eyewitness News

Carmel - A Carmel husband faces murder charges after an autopsy revealed his wife was dead for two to three weeks before police found her body.

That is just one of several startling details that came out in the probable cause affidavit.

47-year-old J.J. Paulsen made a living writing and producing fiction for television. But what police say happened inside his Carmel home at 13294 Stagg Hill Drive sounds more like a made for TV movie.

"When they went through the master bedroom to the closet they found attic access and when police opened it up," said Hamilton County Chief deputy prosecutor Jeffrey Wehmueller. "They found the partially mummified remains of Leanne Paulsen."

Police found Leanne Paulsen's body April 18th in the home she shared with her husband and young child. The contents of the probable cause affidavit describe the days leading up to the gruesome discovery.

"He was having multiple conversations with individuals and those conversations implied she was still alive," Wehmueller said. "(He told) The Oasis Treatment Program as well as friends, he was indicating they were having problems and wanted to get help for Leanne."

The probable cause details plane tickets, conversations with friends about her having a drinking problem and reservations for his wife at two rehabilitation centers in southern California.

But "all the time she was dead," Wehmueller said.

When the prosecutor's office charged Paulsen with murder Thursday afternoon, he was already in the Hamilton County jail for child abandonment and violation of probation.

"He was convicted of domestic violence battery and was on probation at the time at the request of Leanne," Wehmueller said. "She did not want to go forward with the prosecution."

According to the coroner, Leanne died of blunt force trauma which caused bleeding in the brain. The prosecutor told Channel 13 that the coroner determined that two ribs were broken after Leanne was killed.

We talked to a neighbor who described J.J. as a quiet man who kept to himself. She recalled seeing him kicking around a soccer ball in the back yard with his son about a month ago. She said the Paulsen's moved into the house almost three years ago and at the time threw a welcome party for neighbors. But since then, she described the family as keeping to themselves.

Paulsen is now held without bond in the Hamilton County Jail.

this is all over the news here in Indy.

Carmel is the richie rich suburb of Indy.



didn't know he was a writer for cosby though

Rhondab said:

I used 2 live in Carmel.

Plays like an episode of CSI.

Graycap23 said:

gosh..you suck then for real

Rhondab said:

Wow, how terribly tragic and sad.

Rhondab said:

Ouch.....

I blame Bill Cosby.

Graycap23 said:

sorry

How sad.

Can you imagine the smell?

Poor woman and their children.

Rhondab said:

is he the guys with a hundred cheesy roman statues in his front yard?

Rhondab said:

But remember dear..not only did I live in Indy for some time....before moving to seattle and I also grew up in Indiana....looks can be deceiving....also people with money can have some big problems and that can drive them to do the ugliest things.
[Edited 5/5/07 15:22pm]

mostbeautifulgrlntheworld said:

I'm well aware of what jumps off in carmel that goes under the radar. Especially the drugs.

Rhondab said:

The sad thing is because it is Carmel....people get away with it.

Domestic violence

horrible story