Trial begins for Terry Lay, former Eldorado man accused of murder in Evansville
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The murder trial of a former Eldorado resident, accused of killing his young son in Evansville, Ind., began Monday.
Terry Lay, 41, is charged with causing the death of his son, three-year-old Kalab Lay, in March 2008 by what Indiana authorities called extensive child abuse. He faces up to 85 years in prison if convicted, according to an account on the Evansville Courier-Press Web site.
A jury of seven women and five men were chosen for the trial, which is being held in Jeffersonville, Ind. due to pretrial publicity in Evansville, according to the Courier-Press story. Opening arguments were set to begin Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning.
Jeffersonville is close to Louisville, Ky.
Lay's former wife, Amanda Brooks, pleaded guilty in December to felony neglect of a dependent resulting in death and felony battery of a person less than 14 years of age. She received a 35-year sentence to the Indiana Department of Corrections as part of her plea agreement. She also must testify against Lay, according to the Courier-Press.
The Lay family resided in Eldorado in 2004 when an active methamphetamine lab was found in their home. The five children were placed in foster care when Terry and Amanda Brooks Lay were imprisoned. After they got out of prison, the two moved to Evansville. The children remained wards of the court in Saline County.
The Lays were granted an extended visit with Kalab Lay and his twin sister in December 2007 by Judge Todd Lambert. The visit began Jan. 3, 2008 and ended when Kalab was taken by ambulance from his parents' home on March 31, 2008. He died the next day at St. Mary's Medical Center in Evansville.
The circumstances surrounding Lambert's decision to grant an extended visit have been the subject of controversy. The Evansville Courier-Press reported July 16, 2008 the visit was against the recommendations of the Indiana Department of Child Services and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. However, a Lutheran Social Services caseworker testified in May 2008 she recommended an extended visit between the twins and parents at a November 2007 hearing. Sending the children back to their parents two at a time would allow LSS to stay in the case and see how things are working, the caseworker testified.