Lizzie Kaboski

CROWN POINT — A jury found a Gary man not guilty in the murder of his wife following an argument in their home in 2022.

After closing arguments Thursday and approximately seven hours of deliberations, the jury returned the verdict in the trial of Ellis Bishop, 69, who shot and killed his wife, Victoria Staples-Bishop, Oct. 8, 2022, inside their home in the 2300 block of Marshalltown Lane in Gary.

The evidence in the case was clear that Bishop did cause Staples-Bishop's death, but it was up to the jury to decide whether that amounted to the charge of murder or if he shot in self-defense. Bishop alleged he shot Staples-Bishop in self-defense while she was coming at him with a brick following a drunken argument between the couple, according to his trial testimony.

Defense

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