Men charged in store killing speak from jail

TL;DR

Two young men charged with robbing Luke's One Stop and killing clerk Barbara Heckman spoke out from Porter County Jail.
Bruce Guess, 18, and Steven Jorden, 19, arrested hours after the Dec. 19, 2008, attack at the store on U.S. 6 near Valparaiso.
Their jail statements provide early insight into the case as formal charges follow the quick police response.[[1]](https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/two-arrested-after-convenience-store-clerk-killed/531-984716f0-2442-4a3b-9cc8-0c75a0d8fbd0)

The story at a glance

Two Liberty Township men, Bruce Guess and Steven Jorden, faced charges after robbing and killing 42-year-old clerk Barbara Heckman at Luke's One Stop, a convenience store on U.S. 6 north of Valparaiso, Indiana. The article, reported by Ken Kosky for The Times of Northwest Indiana, covers their statements from jail about a week after the Dec. 19, 2008, crime. Police arrested them within hours using a suspect vehicle found nearby.[[1]](https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/two-arrested-after-convenience-store-clerk-killed/531-984716f0-2442-4a3b-9cc8-0c75a0d8fbd0)[[2]](https://nwitimes.com/news/local/article_7d69f4ac-89fb-53da-acf2-1b891e9fb574.html)

Key points

Crime occurred around 11:30 p.m. Dec. 19, 2008; Heckman, of Portage, was beaten to death with a blunt object, possibly a mini sledgehammer, in the store's back room.[[1]](https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/two-arrested-after-convenience-store-clerk-killed/531-984716f0-2442-4a3b-9cc8-0c75a0d8fbd0)[[3]](https://www.chestertontribune.com/PoliceFireEmergency/52095%20man_charged_in_luke_oil_clerk_de.htm)
Officers responded to an alarm, found the body, then located a suspect vehicle leading to arrests of Guess (18) and Jorden (19), both rural Porter County residents.[[1]](https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/two-arrested-after-convenience-store-clerk-killed/531-984716f0-2442-4a3b-9cc8-0c75a0d8fbd0)
Article published Jan. 5, 2009, focuses on the suspects speaking out from jail after formal charges for robbery and murder.[[2]](https://nwitimes.com/news/local/article_7d69f4ac-89fb-53da-acf2-1b891e9fb574.html)

Details and context

Police in Porter County acted fast on the rural store robbery, highlighting quick work in a small community north of Valparaiso. The suspects, local young men from Liberty Township, were held as the investigation unfolded.[[1]](https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/two-arrested-after-convenience-store-clerk-killed/531-984716f0-2442-4a3b-9cc8-0c75a0d8fbd0)

Later coverage shows Guess confessed and got 85 years; Jorden pleaded guilty, testified against Guess, received 57 years, and once tried to withdraw his plea, claiming he did not strike the fatal blows.[[4]](https://www.chestertontribune.com/PoliceFireEmergency/appeals_court_upholds_85_year_se.htm)[[5]](https://www.chestertontribune.com/PoliceFireEmergency/92491%20jorden_sentenced_to_57_years_in.htm)[[6]](https://www.chestertontribune.com/PoliceFireEmergency/92991%20guess_gets_85_years_in_luke_oil.htm)

This fits a pattern of convenience store risks in late-night hours, prompting later state efforts to cut such shifts.[[7]](https://www.chestertontribune.com/PoliceFireEmergency/423124%20state_and_convenience_store_grou.htm)

Key quotes

No direct quotes from suspects or others available in accessible sources.

Why it matters

The killing underscores robbery dangers for store clerks in quiet rural spots. It means swift justice through confessions and pleas for locals and families, with long sentences closing the case. Watch prison appeals, as Jorden once challenged his guilty plea.[[8]](https://nwitimes.com/news/local/article_66b525d7-0dce-50be-8a58-4189ed163356.html)