It's a day many of us longtime Evansville residents will not forget. One of Evansville's most iconic figures was gunned down at the back door of his house by a women disgruntled with local government.

Russel Lloyd Sr. was a two term mayor of Evansville in the 1970's.  He had done so much for the city, many things that help us thrive today. There's a video below that tells the story of Russ Lloyd and all the positives he brought to the table for Evansville.

Three months after his two terms as mayor moved him back into the private sector, Lloyd Sr. was awakened on the morning of March 19,1980 by a knocking at the backdoor of his home on the corner of Washington and Vann Avenue. The person knocking was Julie Van Orden,a local resident that was fed up with city government and believing Lloyd Sr. was still mayor she got into a verbal argument with him at his back door,  After a brief verbal spar, Van Orden pulled out a gun and shot the ex-mayor 4 times, right in front of his wife Gemma. Lloyd Sr. was hospitalized and fell into a come where he died two days later at the young age of 48. Needless to say, the community was stunned.  Nothing quite like this was supposed to happen in a town like Evansville, but it did.

Indiana Department of Corrections
Indiana Department of Corrections
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Julie Van Orden went on trial in 1981 and was found guilty of murder, but insane. She got 40 years in the slammer for her heinous crime. Just a few days before what would have been her release in 2000, she was committed to Logansport State Hospital in Logansport, Indiana, where in 2006 she allegedly stabbed a hospital employee and was charged with attempted murder. This was her final image after being shipped off to prison where she died in 2014 at the age of 70.

14 WFIE
14 WFIE
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Watch the video below to see more about Russel Lloyd. Sr. and his tragic demise. Look for my next installment of Underbelly Of Evansville coming soon.

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