New Albany man sentenced to 240 years in double murder case

Oct. 25—NEW ALBANY — Cherok Douglass of New Albany has been sentenced to 240 years in prison after being convicted of the murder of his wife and a bystander.

On Wednesday, Floyd County Circuit Court 1 Judge Carrie Stiller issued the maximum sentence for Douglass to be served in the Indiana Department of Corrections. This follows an August jury trial, where he was found guilty on four counts, including two counts of murder.

Douglass was convicted of shooting and killing his wife, Brandee Douglass, and a bystander, Lorin Yelle, on April 4, 2022.

He was also convicted of the attempted murder of a sheriff's deputy and the robbery resulting in the bodily injury of a New Albany restaurant owner.

In addition, he received a firearm enhancement and a habitual offender enhancement to his sentencing.

Douglass apologized to families at the hearing, but he also confirmed at Wednesday's hearing that he would be requesting an appeal of the jury's verdict.

Stiller described Douglass' crimes as the "worst of the worst."

On April 4, police said Douglass shot and killed Brandee and Yelle at the Circle K on Grant Line Road, and he led police on a high-speed chase.

The chase ended near the Onion Restaurant & Tea House on Charlestown Road, where he took the restaurant's co-owner, Winnie Wen, hostage at gunpoint. She testified at trial that Douglass ran her over with her own vehicle.

Floyd County Deputy Sarah James testified that Douglass also tried to run her over with the same vehicle.

The 240 years was the sentence recommended by Floyd County Prosecutor Chris Lane. The minimum sentence would have been 130 years.

"We held him to the maximum that we were allowed to do, and I'm very thankful for that opportunity," Lane said. "There will be other things that the families and victims will deal with for the rest of their lives, but we're very thankful for this day."

IMPACT ON FAMILIES

It was an emotional day in the courtroom as multiple family members gave victim impact statements at Wednesday's hearing. Brandee's mother, Stephanie Griffith, called for the maximum sentence for Douglass, describing him as a "selfish monster."

"We asked for the maximum sentence because he gave us the maximum sentence of life without [Brandee]," she said.

Griffith said Douglass had a history of domestic violence toward her daughter.

Brandee's 18-year-old son also gave a victim impact statement, saying the loss of his mother is the hardest thing he has ever faced. He also emphasized the toll of the loss on his younger siblings.

He said he could see no reason for Douglass' actions, calling him a "cruel, evil person."

Yelle's mother, Deborah Yelle, described the toll of losing her son, saying she has felt "numb mentally and physically" since he was killed.

She said when she tried participating in normal activities, she felt "odd and out of place," and she often cries when seeing objects associated with memories of her son.

She misses her son and thinks about him "night and day," she said.

Deborah said if she looked in Douglass' eyes, she believes that she would see "darkness," and she wants him to serve life in prison. She described Douglass as a "dangerous man."

Yelle's brother, Jason Yelle, said his sibling was someone who could keep his composure in stressful situations, and he would "come to people's aid."

Jason said his brother "deserved better," and he wanted Douglass to face the "fullest extent" of sentencing for his crimes.

At Wednesday's hearing, Douglass told the judge that he wanted to be sentenced in accordance with the wishes of the victims' families.

He also apologized to the victims' families. He said he is remorseful for the pain he caused, noting that if he could take it back, he would.

Lane said he is "honored" to be able to provide justice for families and victims.

"Because I love this community, and these people are members of our community," he said. "And this day will not be forgotten, hopefully, because we held a person accountable for something evil."

Lane said he does not care how Douglass thinks or feels about the situation, saying he believes "our arguments are strong enough, so whatever his desire [is] doesn't matter."

"I listen to the desires of the victims, I listen to the desires of the people who elected me, and I look at the law and the facts and the evidence," he said. "The facts, evidence and law all told me that 240 years was righteous and just, and I'm very thankful we got 240 years."

Stiller said she hopes that Douglass spends each day of his life in jail trying to change and reflecting on the impact his actions had on the victims and victims' loved ones.

Douglass' defense attorney, Bart McMahon, noted at the hearing that the defendant would face life in prison no matter what happened, and he had "no one to blame but himself" for his actions. However, he asked that the judge show a "modicum of mercy" in the sentencing due to the remorse that Douglass has expressed.

Floyd County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Elizabeth Stigdon said that "every step of this process has had an enormous impact on [victims] and their families."

"I just want to commend them for their bravery, and especially those family members who had to take the stand at trial and who gave impact statements today," he said.

Lane also commended the actions of James in responding to the scene.

"Sarah James was the officer who put herself in the line literally of fire," he said. "She put herself in harm's way, because if that person, if the defendant would have gotten around, he would have continued his rampage, but he was stopped by an officer with the sheriff's department here in Floyd County."

He described James as a "hero."

"And so often that's forgotten, that she was a hero and a victim, and she's had to deal with the trauma of this also," Lane said.