Man who offered to help disabled friend into home admits to beating him with broom and stabbing him with screwdriver

Inset: Jacob Cram (Boone County Jail). Background: The area in Indiana where Cram killed a 64-year-old man last year (Google Maps).

A 37-year-old Indiana man is facing more than six decades behind bars for killing his friend who required the use of a wheelchair, beating the victim with a broom before choking him and stabbing him in the head with a screwdriver.

Jacob Cram appeared in Boone County Superior Court Friday and formally pleaded guilty to one count of murder in the slaying of 64-year-old Donald Bowers, court records show.

Cram is facing 45 to 65 years in a state correctional facility when he appears before Judge Matthew C. Kincaid for his sentencing hearing next month. In exchange for his plea, prosecutors agreed to dismiss a habitual offender enhancement.

Cram had been scheduled to go to trial next month.

The investigation began when officers with the Lebanon Police Department responded to a home in the 500 block of South West Street at about 6:45 p.m. Sept. 10, 2025, regarding a possible homicide. Upon arriving, first responders found Bowers suffering from "obvious traumatic injuries," Indianapolis NBC affiliate WTHR reported.

That evening, two witnesses told a police officer that they had seen Cram with Bowers' body, Indianapolis Fox affiliate WXIN reported.

One witness told investigators they saw Cram trying to hang a blanket over a doorway inside Bowers' home in Lebanon. The witness claimed Cram then stopped them and said, "I can't show you [what is in the house]" before abruptly changing his mind and saying, "Oh well, I guess I can."

Inside, the witness said they saw Bowers on the floor with duct tape wrapped around his head and a screwdriver protruding from it. Cram reportedly warned the witness not to tell anyone what he had seen.

Police located Cram near Bowers' home and placed him under arrest.

In a subsequent interview, Cram said he volunteered to help Bowers, whom he knew, get into his home, according to the Lebanon Reporter.

Once inside, Cram reportedly attacked the older man, admitting that he attempted to kill Bowers in several ways, including striking him with a broom handle, cutting him with a box cutter, wrapping a blanket around his face, and stabbing him with a screwdriver.

Cram also reportedly confirmed that Bowers fought throughout the onslaught.

Investigators have not publicly released a possible motive for the killing.

"This guilty plea ensures that Jacob Andrew Cram is held accountable for the murder of Donald Lee Bowers while eliminating the uncertainty associated with a trial and potential future appeals," Boone County Prosecutor Kent Eastwood said in a statement. "At the same time, the agreement preserves the State's ability to seek the maximum sentence authorized by law. Our office remains committed to seeking justice for victims and their families, and we appreciate the input and cooperation of Mr. Bowers' family throughout this process."

Cram's sentencing hearing is scheduled for Sept. 17 in Boone County Superior Court.