An attractive high school librarian was found shot to death in a classroom today and police began a search for a man believed to be a suitor. Miss Georgine Lyons, 24 was found lying in a pool of blood on the floor of an English classroom during the noon recess. She had been shot five times in the chest and abdomen,

   Police and sheriff’s deputies set up roadblocks in a search for Charles Petrach, 25 of Gary Ind., who had been seen with the victim recently. The body was found by Miss Jean Brosman, an English teacher, who entered the vacant room during lunch hour, and ran screaming into the corridor when she made the discovery.

   A Jilted suitor admitted today he shot a pretty high school librarian to death in a classroom because she refused to renew their engagement and there was "nothing else to do" .Charles Petrach , 25 year old unemployed insurance salesman made a tape recorded confession to Sheriff Garrel Burgoon a few hours after he was captured as he tried to hitch hike across the Wabash River Bridge to near by Vincennes Ind. He admitted firing seven shots at burnette Georgine Lyon , 24after unsuccessfully pleading with her to take back his engagement ring, which she had returned two weeks ago.

   "He was cool as a cucumber  during the questioning," Burgoon said.

     A teacher found miss Lyon's body in a pool of blood in an English classroom where Petrach had confronted his former sweetheart to "talk thing over” during a school recess. She had been shot five times.

Although hundreds of high school students were in or near the building, no one witnessed the shooting.  However students told authorities  they saw Patrach  and Miss Lyon  in the hall  during the morning. And Some students reported they heard "noises that may have been shots" during the lunch hour recess.

Petrach told authorities he came to Lawrenceville to "Have it out" with Miss Lyons because after announcing her engagement to him last year she had changed her mind about marrying him and decided to continue her work in the school library.

They went to the classroom to talk , Petrach said and Miss Lyon insisted she was through with him. " When I saw there was nothing else I could do", Petrach said cooly," I shot her".

He told authorities he threw his 38 caliber target pistol into a creek. Then he stopped a a tavern near the Wabash River to have a beer and a sandwich.

The sheriff and another officer spotted Petrach as he tried to hitch a ride across the river.  Petrach unarmed gave up with out a fight

"Apparently  the only motive was that he was all broken up over the end of the engagement" Burgoon said.

Petrach was the son of Emil Patrich, a Gary Ind. barber.

He met Miss Lyon while they attended  Ball State Teachers College at muncie Ind. She was a prominant madison Ind. Family.

November 12, 1952  Charles Petrach was sentenced to 150 years in prison for the September 3 murder of Lawrenceville High School Librarian Mildred Georgine Lyon. He will spend the remainder of his life in the Illinois State prison at Menard.

 A further stipulation to the sentence ordered that Patrach spend each September 3^rd, the anniversary of the crime, in solitary confinement.

Charles Petrach (sitting)Describes Shooting

On August 24 1967 The Lawrence County News reported that Charles Petrach had been released from prison after serving only 15 years for the murder of Miss Georgine Lyon.