Darin Atkins and his girlfriend Sarah Andry shared an empathy for having gone through pain and loneliness. They quickly found love in each other. But then, tragedy struck, leaving many stunned by the truths that surfaced.
Love Born from Pain and Loneliness
Darin Atkins was born on September 21, 1967. He grew up in the small town of Birdseye, Indiana, USA, and was very close with his family. After graduating high school, Darin met his future wife, Sheri. He proposed to her very quickly after they met.
They married in April 1988 and had two children together. Darin also achieved his goal of becoming a truck driver.
But their marriage eventually hit troubles, and after nearly two decades together, Darin and Sheri divorced in 2003. Sheri said a major reason was because Darin’s mother constantly interfered in their marriage.
More tragically, on June 19, 2006, both of their daughters passed away in a car accident. Everything became extremely difficult for the two, especially Darin. He turned to drugs and alcohol, quickly becoming addicted. Darin also became a different person from that point on.
In 2014, Darin met Sarah Andry online. Sarah had gotten pregnant in high school and later moved to Florida with her husband. There she became addicted to drugs. Sarah’s children were eventually taken into care and adopted. She ultimately divorced and moved back to Indiana.
Bonded by grief and loneliness, Sarah and Darin quickly moved in together. Their home also became a frequent party spot.
They both wanted to get their lives back on track and have a bright future together, so they got clean. But everything came to a tragic end on July 19, 2017.
The Gruesome Death
On July 19th, 911 received a call from Sarah stating she had found Darin deceased inside his home. Sarah told the dispatcher it looked like someone had beaten her boyfriend to death with a bat.
However, Sarah did not immediately call the police. Instead, she first called her mother to come pick her up and drive her 17 miles away from Darin’s house.
Police and EMTs quickly arrived on the scene and confirmed Darin’s brutal death. The victim’s body was found in the bedroom. The autopsy showed he died from severe blunt force trauma to the head, with blood splattered on the walls and headboard. Small cuts resembling those from a barbed wire were also found on Darin’s body.
Experts concluded Darin’s death was a homicide caused by multiple heavy impacts to the head.
When police made contact with Sarah at the location she was dropped off, they noticed the woman was crying and clearly very distraught.
Asked why she didn’t call 911 from Darin’s home, Sarah claimed she never actually saw the body and was so shocked it was her boyfriend that she couldn’t think straight. Additionally, Sarah said she had two outstanding warrants for theft and didn’t want to turn herself in. She said she was very scared and wanted her mother there.
This woman was quickly brought to the police station to provide her account.
The Murder After the Party
After Darin Atkins’ death, his girlfriend Sarah Andry was quickly brought to the police station to provide her account.
Along with that, police also searched Darin’s vehicle. They found his wallet had been partially rummaged through. There was no cash inside and documents were taken. Police then ruled out the possibility of a robbery. They also did not find the murder weapon at the scene.
Sarah told police that she and Darin had hosted a party at his home the night before he died. She insisted she was with her boyfriend the entire evening. Around 8 am, Sarah left to go visit a friend named Jason Atkins. Though sharing the Atkins last name, Jason and Darin were not actually related, just knew each other from growing up in Birdseye. Sarah claimed she discovered Darin’s body after returning from Jason’s house.
At that time, though the front door was locked, she knew the kitchen window was always left open so Sarah entered through there. She stated when she saw her boyfriend lying on the bed, she tried shaking him but he was unresponsive.
The autopsy confirmed the police’s initial findings. Darin died from severe blunt force trauma to the head, with a few small cuts resembling those from a barbed wire on his body. The time of death was estimated between 4-8 am, even though Sarah didn’t call the police until midday.
Darin’s friends all described him as very kind and helpful to others. They also mentioned he kept a particular weapon inside his truck – a stick wrapped in barbed wire for self-defense purposes.
The Shocking Revelation
When asked who she thought could have killed Darin, Sarah named a young man named Jason Bledsoe who she said got into a fight with Darin at the party the previous night. Due to her prior theft charges and outstanding warrants, Sarah was taken into custody following her interview.
Meanwhile, Jason Bledsoe was the next person to speak with police. This man corroborated what Sarah had said – that he argued with Darin over not yet returning his truck. However, Jason Bledsoe insisted there was no physical altercation. He claimed to have left before midnight and never returned. After verifying his alibi, Jason Bledsoe was ruled out as a suspect.
Some witnesses provided police information that Darin also got into a confrontation at the party with another man named Steven Clapp. Steven’s truck had been set on fire months earlier and he believed Darin was responsible. In the middle of the party, an angry Steven stormed off.
Steven admitted to police he did leave, but never had hard feelings toward Darin. The man said he got into an argument with his girlfriend and walked home from the party. His girlfriend later came to pick him up, and they were together the rest of the night. The next morning, Steven woke up early for work.
Police went to Steven’s workplace and were told he didn’t arrive until close to 10 am. They then interviewed Steven’s girlfriend. During this conversation, the woman shockingly revealed that Sarah was simultaneously in romantic relationships with both Darin and Jason Atkins.
The Love Triangle
From the information provided by witnesses, the police learned that Sarah Andry had been dating both men, Jason Atkins and the victim Darin Atkins, simultaneously for several years. Many people said that Sarah had the ability to attract others and would seek out those who had drugs or treated her well.
The police collected the cell phones of all individuals they believed could be connected to the murder case.
Suspect Steven Clapp was ruled out when phone data verified he was at a different location at the time Darin was killed.
Meanwhile, Sarah’s social media messages confirmed her involvement with both men simultaneously and provided a motive as to why Jason wanted Darin dead. It was evident that Jason didn’t want to lose Sarah. He appeared to be very jealous of the love she had for Darin at that time. If Darin were to disappear, he could have Sarah.
On Darin’s phone, police found a message sent at 4:12 am showing his anger towards Sarah for going to Jason’s after the party. Thus, Sarah lied to the police about being with her boyfriend all night and leaving around 8 am.
On July 28, 2017, the police continued to interrogate Sarah. She admitted to being involved in a love triangle but claimed she ultimately chose to be with Darin. This angered Jason greatly.
Sarah also had to face the evidence of messages on Darin’s phone. Police told her they believed she was protecting Jason.
Discovery from Surveillance Cameras
During police questioning, Jason admitted to loving Sarah even though he knew she wasn’t the best choice for him. He said at the time of the victim’s murder, he was only at home and did not leave.
The police decided to search for clues from security cameras at a library in a small town in Indiana. This library was located on the only road from Jason’s house to Darin’s.
Finally, the police discovered at 4:13 am on July 19, Jason’s car passing by the library despite his claim of being home all night. The police identified two people in the car.
At this point, Sarah was released from prison after serving time for previous charges. Upon her release, she married a man named Eddie, whom she had known since high school.
On May 24, 2018, Jason was further questioned while being detained for drug-related offenses. Faced with the evidence the police had, Jason’s demeanor changed.
He believed Sarah should have been the one imprisoned as the mastermind behind everything. “She’s a cunning and evil person,” Jason said about the woman he once loved. Along with that, Jason agreed to confess to everything.
The Real Killer
On May 24, 2018, suspect Jason Atkins continued to be interrogated while detained for drug-related offenses. At this point, Jason believed that Sarah Andry should be the one imprisoned as the mastermind behind everything. “She’s a cunning and evil person,” Jason said about the woman he once loved.
According to Jason’s confession, Sarah went to his place after the party at the victim Darin Atkins’ house. Here, Sarah claimed that Darin had assaulted and abused her. However, the police never found any evidence to support this. Nevertheless, Jason fully believed her, and they both decided to drive back to Darin’s house to confront him.
Initially, Jason waited in the car while Sarah went inside. After a few minutes of waiting, Jason also entered. According to Jason, Darin attacked him with a stick upon seeing him. Jason then managed to grab the stick and hit Darin on the head with it. However, Jason insisted he only struck Darin once. The victim was unconscious but still alive when Jason left.
But the police didn’t believe Jason because this story didn’t match with the forensic evidence at the crime scene and the autopsy report showing Darin was struck multiple times.
A few days later, Jason Atkins told the police that he was willing to confess more. He claimed Sarah was the real killer. “I know he was still alive when Sarah picked up the stick,” Jason said.
The Manipulative Woman
Jason and Sarah were arrested and charged with murder. Jason confessed and agreed to testify against Sarah. In September 2020, Sarah went to trial. Jason claimed Sarah had instigated him to confront Darin. Meanwhile, Sarah also made accusations against Jason.
Defense lawyers argued that Jason acted alone to eliminate his rival. Evidence such as blood on the blanket indicated that Darin never held the stick as Jason claimed but was lying in bed when attacked by Jason and Sarah.
Meanwhile, the prosecution argued that the murder case was drug-related. They also presented the biggest evidence against Sarah, her fabricated and contradictory stories. Phone records and thousands of social media messages showed Sarah manipulating both Jason and Darin over the years. She would accuse Darin when with Jason, and vice versa, playing the victim to Jason when talking to Darin. She made both men feel sorry for her and used this as leverage for herself.
Ultimately, Jason Atkins was sentenced to 20 years in prison, followed by 5 years of probation. He would be eligible for parole on April 24, 2036.
Sarah was convicted of murder and sentenced to 55 years in prison. In July 2021, she appealed, steadfastly claiming her innocence, but the Indiana Court of Appeals upheld the original sentence.
