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Indiana inmate charged in alleged murder-for-hire plot targeting witness

By Will Hager
Published  April 7, 2026 2:32pm CDT
Porter County
FOX 32 Chicago
article

Robert Garner | Porter County Jail

The Brief

    • An inmate in Porter County is charged with trying to arrange the killing of a witness in his case. 
    • Authorities say detectives uncovered the plot after receiving a tip and communicating with him during the investigation. 
    • Officials say the effort helped prevent a potential murder.

VALPARAISO, Ill. - A Porter County inmate has been charged after authorities say he attempted to arrange the murder of a witness in his criminal case.

What we know:

Investigators said the jail division received information on March 22 that 44-year-old inmate Robert Garner was seeking to hire someone to kill a person he believed would testify against him. 

Detectives from the sheriff’s office and the Porter County Multi-Enforcement Group launched an investigation and began communicating directly with Garner without his knowledge.

Authorities said the investigation led to Garner being charged with conspiracy to commit murder, a Level 2 felony. Officials credited cooperation between the jail division, detectives and prosecutors with preventing a potential killing.

Garner has been in Porter County Jail since Feb. 28 on charges of dealing a controlled substance, conspiracy and another charge that has not been listed. He is being held in custody on a $155,000 bond.

The Source: The information in this report came from the Porter County Jail.

Porter CountyCrime and Public SafetyNews