Upgraded murder charge filed in Navy veteran's slaying
Attorneys for Timothy R. Thomas, 40, of Highland, filed a petition to let bond in the case. Thomas is accused of murdering Nicholas Lile, a Merrillville native and a 22-year veteran of the U.S. Navy who served as a corpsman attached to a U.S. Marines battalion on seven combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. Thomas told police he shot Lile to death in the basement of Lile's home outside Lowell in self-defense. Lile's family disputed Thomas' version of events. Thomas initially was charged with voluntary manslaughter, a level 2 felony, and released from jail Jan. 5 after posting a $5,000 ca...