Sarah Jo Pender

Sarah Jo Pender (born 26 July 1979) is an American woman convicted along with her former boyfriend, Richard Edward Hull, of murdering their roommates, Andrew Cataldi and Tricia Nordman, on October 4, 2000 in Indiana. She has claimed ever since that she is victim of a wrongful conviction. She came to national attention in August 2008 after she escaped from the Rockville Correctional Facility and was featured on America's Most Wanted. She was recaptured in December 2008. Crime: Sarah Jo Pender, then 21, was a graduate from Lawrence Central High School in 1997. She worked as a secretary at Carl E. Most and Sons. Richard Hull, her boyfriend, worked as a bouncer at a bar. He had a criminal history that included six misdemeanors and two felony convictions for auto theft and for residential entry. Andrew Cataldi, 24, and Tricia Nordman, 25, were both fugitives from a Nevada Correctional Facility where Nordman served time on a forgery conviction and Cataldi on a possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine conviction. According to the police, Richard Hull and Andrew Cataldi reportedly sold drugs from their place, a fact confirmed by Hull himself. The murder: According to neighbor Jana Frederick, tensions had been growing for three weeks between the couples, as Richard Hull and Andrew Cataldi had frequent arguments. At some point prior to the murders Hull, who could not legally purchase firearms due to his criminal record, sought to purchase a weapon from the son of Frederick's boyfriend. He was unsuccessful in this attempt, but was later able to convince Sarah Pender to purchase a weapon for him. In the morning of October 24, 2000, Hull drove Pender to a local Wal-mart to purchase a 12-gauge shotgun. The clerk who handled the sale of the weapon later reported seeing Hull select the ammunition and bring it to the counter, where Pender then paid for it. The couple then went for an outing with Pender's parents and returned home around 11 p.m. Shortly after returning, Pender left the building to take a walk. According to Hull while Pender was away an argument broke out between him and Cataldi regarding money his sister, Tabitha, owed to Cataldi. Cataldi, who knew about the recently-purchased shotgun, went into Hull's room to attempt to retrieve the weapon. Richard Hull later told detectives Cataldi "said he was going to kill my f---ing family." Hull attempted to prevent Cataldi's actions, which resulted in a physical struggle between the two men. The incident ended with Hull shooting Cataldi in the chest and shooting Nordman in the head and chest. When Pender returned, both victims were dead and Hull had already placed one of their bodies in the back of a truck owned by his friend Ronnie Herron. Hull had borrowed the truck on October 23 to assist with removing items from the basement of the building as part of a plan shared with Cataldi that involved the creation of a methamphetamine lab in collaboration with a chemist from Las Vegas. Hull and Pender then drove a few blocks away and placed the bodies in a dumpster, where they were later found by Steve Stultz. On October 25 Pender went to work while Hull borrowed equipment from neighbor Jana Frederick to clean up the blood in the house. On October 26 the couple went to Noblesville to return the truck to owner Ronnie Herron. Hull then used Herron's home to burn several blood-stained items. On the same day detectives, who had now identified the victims, searched Hull and Pender's home, in which they found traces of blood and observed that attempts had been made to conceal the murders. Hull was arrested in Noblesville on October 27, and confessed to both murders. On October 28 Pender gave the police a pair of blood-stained pants belonging to Hull. DNA tests confirmed that the blood was that of Tricia Nordman and Andrew Cataldi. No DNA evidence was found that linked Pender to the murders for which both she and her boyfriend were charged. Pender explained later that "after he committed these murders, I did not call the police, but instead stayed with him out of love, fear, loyalty and sheer stupidity."