BY JOHN REED LEADER EDITOR
KNOX — Ernest Wireman pled “not guilty” to charges of murder, attempted murder and aggravated battery in Starke Circuit Court Monday, setting the stage for a trial at some unspecified future date.
Wireman, 56, of 3862 N. 300 E., Rensselaer, was represented by court-appointed attorney Richard Ballard. As is customary in murder cases, he is being held without bond.

Wireman is accused of murdering his wife, Mary Wireman, at a residence they owned at 2685 W. 250 S., North Judson. He then allegedly set the mobile home afire.
As police arrived at the murder scene shortly before 3 p.m. Sunday, June 14, there were 911 calls to 3860 S. 300 E., Knox, for a shooting at the home of Jeremy Risner, Mary’s son.
Jeremy sought help at a neighbor’s house after being shot two or three times in the chest and stomach. He allegedly told a witness that Ernest Wireman had shot him.
That shooting allegedly happened in the basement of the home. Ernest’s granddaughter was one of the children upstairs.
Risner was airlifted to South Bend Memorial Hospital, and reportedly will recover from his injuries.
Wireman fled the shooting at Mary’s house in a blue Mustang, which he later abandoned behind a cell phone tower on 300 East. He showed up at the Starke County Jail about 5 p.m. and surrendered.
An autopsy was performed at St. Joseph’s Forensics in Fort Wayne, and the coroner found six to seven stab wounds in Mary’s head.
So far, no reason has been given for the incidents, although Ernest and Mary are reportedly estranged.
Police recovered a large knife with bloodstains, a shotgun, and a Phillips screw gun allegedly used to stab Mary. They also said Wireman appeared to have bloodstains on his clothing and hands when he arrived at the jail, and that there were bloodstains in the Mustang.
Wireman was initially arraigned Tuesday, May 16, and Judge Kim Hall continued the hearing until Monday. Security at the courthouse was high for both sessions, with up to eight officers inside and outside the courtroom, with a canine officer patrolling the building. At one point, courthouse employees were told to lock themselves in their offices for safety purposes.
At both sessions, a small crowd of spectators stood around the path Wireman took to walk to the courthouse.
During the June 14 investigation, eight Starke County Sheriff’s officers were involved, along with Indiana State Police forensic examiners and evidence technicians and Fire Marshall Jeff Roseboon.