The Plymouth man accused of beating a Knox man to death back in October is now facing murder charges.
Jason Cooke, 36, of Plymouth, is accused of assaulting Sescoe Wireman of Knox at a home in the 100 block of East 500 South on Oct. 7th. He was initially charged with robbery resulting in serious bodily injury as a level 2 felony and aggravated battery resulting in serious bodily injury.
Starke County Prosecutor Nicholas Bourff has upgraded those charges to murder in the perpetrating of a robbery along with robbery as a level 2 felony and aggravated battery as a level 3 felony. The probable cause affidavit indicates Cooke is accused of striking Wireman in the head and taking money, prescription medication, an Indiana ID card, multiple credit cards and money. The multiple blows initially caused a stroke which lead to his death, according to the court documents.
Wireman was brought to the IU Health Starke Hospital emergency room by private vehicle after the assault. The person who dropped him off told the staff a fight had taken place, and they notified the sheriff’s office. Detectives went to the residence and saw enough evidence in the driveway to obtain a search warrant, according to the initial incident report. They were assisted by Indiana State Police crime scene technicians.
The following day they got a lead on a suspect reported to be staying at the Red Rock Inn in Plymouth and went there with local police to question him. He reportedly agreed to a search of his room, which turned up evidence officers say is connected to Wireman’s beating. Cooke was arrested Oct. 9th and remains in the Starke County Jail.
