Nearly 30 minutes later, Gulbranson called 911 to report the crime — which had already been reported by a neighbor — and tried to claim she was a victim of the attackers, too.
Today, Gulbranson’s attorney, Jeff Kimmell, took to her defense. But instead of putting the defendant on the stand, he called for 33-year-old Armond Stork to testify.
Stork, who said his street name is "7-footer" because of his height, was one of the three men who accompanied Gulbranson to Henry’s home.
The other two men, Howard Kindred and Dominic Smallwood, both 27, have been charged with robbery in the crime; last month Kindred was sentenced to 40 years in prison for his involvement. Stork was not charged in the incident.
Under questioning from Kimmell, Stork said the men traveled with Gulbranson to Henry’s home because she needed a change of clothes before going to "turn a trick" at a nearby motel.
Stork said Gulbranson left Kindred and Smallwood at Henry’s home, but that he never heard her or anyone else talk about robbing Henry. Stork said he and Gulbranson returned to Henry’s home after being gone 45 minutes, and arrived to find Henry bloody on the floor.
Stork said he was so upset by the attack that he went and sat in Gulbranson’s car, and tried to call someone to pick him up but didn’t know where he was.
The other two men, Stork said, grabbed Gulbranson and held her inside Henry’s home until they had finished searching it.
The four then left the house in a car, with Gulbranson driving. Stork said that once he was aware of his surroundings, along Indiana 933 north of Roseland, he jumped out the car, leaving Gulbranson and the other two men.
Although Stork said he never heard Gulbranson discuss robbing Henry, he did testify — under cross-examination by St. Joseph County Deputy Prosecutor Joel Gabrielse — that Gulbranson was being badgered for money by Kindred.
Stork said Gulbranson owed money to Kindred, whose street name is Duck, because he had "fronted" her crack cocaine and now wanted to be paid.
Although Gulbranson apparently had money — Stork said she bought more than $200 worth of crack, plus beer and gin earlier in the day — Stork said she and Kindred were arguing about money, leading Gulbranson to say she would pay him off after "working" at the motel.
In his closing arguments, Gabrielse argued that the need for money, one way or another, was the motivation for the robbery.
Although Gulbranson might not have been involved in the attack, Gabrielse argued that she was the only link between Henry and his attackers and that her actions after the attack — driving the men away, delaying her call to police and then lying to investigators — showed she was an accomplice to the crime.
Kimmell, in his closing agreement, argued against those claims, saying the state had showed no evidence — only speculation — about Gulbranson’s involvement in the robbery.
"There’s been no evidence that she was in the house when the robbery and battery occurred," Kimmell said. "She may not have been doing good things, but there’s no evidence to a plan."
Because Gulbranson asked for a bench trial instead of a jury trial, Judge William Albright has the sole role of deciding the outcome of the case.
Albright said he planned to weigh the evidence and announce a verdict at 10:30 a.m. Friday.
