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Ex-boyfriend of slain USI student charged with murder

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WISH) – A southern Indiana judge read 22-year-old Isaiah Hagan the official charges against him Tuesday in front of his family and the family of his alleged victim.

Prosecutors say Hagan shot and killed his ex-girlfriend, 20-year-old Halee Rathgeber, then robbed her of items, including her wallet and cell phone.

The University of Southern Indiana student’s body was found last Monday near a rural sports complex east of Newburgh, about 15 miles east of Evansville.

Hagan is now charged with murder, felony murder, robbery and obstruction of justice.

A public defender was appointed to Hagan’s case. The court entered a not-guilty plea on Hagan’s behalf as common procedure at initial hearings. A judge has sealed the charging documents surrounding this case and says the documents will remain sealed for at least two more weeks.

Rathgeber was well known and loved by friends, colleagues and fellow students. She was an employee at Texas Roadhouse, and the restaurant has paid for her funeral.

“I think you’re going to find people that are invested in this case because of the nature of the crime,” Warrick County prosecutor Mike Perry said. “This young lady touched a lot of people. I was impressed the other day that her restaurant that she worked at actually closed down to allow the employees to attend her memorial service, which I thought was just the classiest thing I’ve ever seen. So, there’s a lot of emotion in a case like this.”

The restaurant is also working on getting a USI scholarship fund set up in Rathgeber’s name

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