One man was convicted of murder in the 1975 killing of a teenager in North Webster this week.

Fred Bandy Jr. was found guilty at a bench trial on Tuesday after waiving his right to a jury trial in September.

17-year-old Laurel Jean Mitchell was found in the Elkhart River. An autopsy later showed that she drowned, but struggled in the process. Her death was eventually ruled a homicide.

Police say advancements in DNA technology allowed them to figure out that both Bandy and another man named John Lehman were involved in Mitchell’s death. Both men were arrested in February 2023.

In August, Lehman agreed to a plea deal that would change his murder charge to conspiracy to commit murder. He has a court hearing on Friday.

Bandy’s sentencing is scheduled for October 22.

Police identified Laurel with her class ring from Wawasee High School. It had her initials engraved inside. She was supposed to graduate from high school in 1976.