Indiana mom sentenced to 115 years for poisoning oatmeal and strangling her ex-boyfriend

CARMEL, Indiana (WXIN) — An Indiana mother has been sentenced to 115 years in prison after being found guilty of oatmeal poisoning in a count of murder that arose out of a contentious custody battle between her and the father of her 2-year-old child.

Heidi Littlefield, 42, was found guilty by a Hamilton County jury in August of the murder and double conspiracy to murder her ex-boyfriend, Francis Kelley.

Kelley was found dead on a couch at his Carmel home on January 18, 2021.

According to court documents, Littlefield conspired with her daughter, Logan Runyon, to plot Kelley’s death. Kelley and Littlefield shared a 2-year-old child and were in a custody battle when Littlefield began plotting Kelley’s murder.

Court documents show Littlefield worked with Runyon to poison Kelley with fentanyl between October 2020 and January 2021 in hopes of making his death look like an overdose.

Investigators spoke to Robert Walker of Englewood, Ohio – another accused conspirator in the conspiracy – who told detectives that Littlefield put fentanyl in Kelley’s miso soup in October 2020. Walker also told police it was Littlefield’s idea to put the fentanyl in Kelley’s oatmeal, which he ate on January 15, 2021, the last day anyone heard from Kelley.

Court documents reveal a text conversation between Kelley and Littlefield that may have been his last.

“Did you do something with the oatmeal that was in my fridge?” Kelley texted Littlefield on Jan. 15, 2021 at 1:37 p.m

“What the hell are you talking about???” Littlefield replied.

“You were in my fridge last night and it tasted funny after a few bites and now I’m groggy,” Kelley replied at 1:41 p.m., adding that he was having trouble concentrating on work.

Kelley had been working from home that day. Court records show Kelley sent the last email at 1:56 p.m. Calls and messages to Kelley after 1:56 p.m. were marked as unanswered and unread. Kelley’s employer said it was “highly unusual” for Kelley to go dark during this period as he was typically active until 5pm

Littlefield continued to text Kelley after asking her about the oatmeal. She accused him of taking drugs and verbally abused him. In a message sent at 1:52 p.m., she said she was tired of him “telling false information about me.” This message went unread. So did her message at 4:04 p.m., in which Littlefield informed him that she had stopped by his house a little earlier with her daughter, but her knock on his door went unanswered.

Carmel police conducted a social check at Kelley’s home two days later after another ex-girlfriend was concerned when Kelley didn’t pick up their 9-year-old child as previously planned. However, police did not enter Kelley’s home or contact Kelley on January 17. Kelley was not found until the following afternoon when the same ex went to his home and found him dead on his couch.

Police were called to Kelley’s Howe Drive home, where an inspection of Kelley’s body found bruising around his right eye, right elbow, knee and left hand. A small baggy was also found under the couch. It tested positive for cocaine, but an autopsy later found fentanyl in Kelley’s system, not cocaine.

On January 20, 2021, the coroner determined that Kelley’s manner of death was asphyxia due to manual strangulation. There was also blunt force trauma to his head.

When Walker was arrested on a warrant in Ohio in March 2021, he told Carmel Police Department detectives that he wanted to tell them about Kelley’s death and Littlefield and Runyon’s involvement.

Walker told police that Littlefield paid him $2,500 to hire someone to kill Kelley. Walker used the money for drugs instead, and said he had no intention of making good on his promise.

According to Walker, Littlefield spoke of killing “her baby’s father” because “she would abandon her daughter if[Kelley]didn’t end up dead.”

Walker even hinted that Littlefield wanted Runyon to take the fall and asked her own daughter if she was “cool to go to prison for the rest of her life.”

Walker told investigators the details of Kelley’s death and said it was Runyon who told him what happened at Kelley’s home in Carmel.

According to Walker’s interview, Littlefield poisoned Kelley’s oatmeal by adding fentanyl to the food. Then she and Runyon opened the window and sneaked into Kelley’s house, where he was unresponsive but still breathing. Littlefield then allegedly used Kelley’s “favorite tie” to strangle him while simultaneously banging his head on the ground.

Runyon, who was sentenced to 26 years in prison for her part in the murder, testified against her mother as part of her plea. Runyon confirmed the events described by Walker.

According to IndyStar, Littlefield has maintained her innocence and said she intends to appeal the court’s decision. Two of Littlefield’s own children reportedly told the judge that society would be better off with Littlefield behind bars.

Court documents also reveal that at the time of Kelley’s murder, Littlefield’s friend, who is also the father of the child Littlefield was pregnant with at the time of her arrest, recorded conversations between Littlefield and himself, which he gave to police. In these conversations, Littlefield can be heard planning to overdose Kelley with fentanyl and talking about how she wants Kelley dead.

Walker signed a plea deal for conspiracy to commit murder, according to court records. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison.