Terry Lay gets a century sentence

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Terry Lay was sentenced to a total of 100 years in prison in Indiana Tuesday for killing his three-year-old son Kalab.

Lay, 41, formerly of Eldorado, stood trial in Indiana on several charges in connection with the April 1, 2008 death of Kalab and criminal neglect of Kayla Lay in Evansville, Ind. He was convicted of reckless homicide and neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury for neglect of Kalab's sister, Kayla. The trial was moved to Jeffersonville, Ind. from Evansville on a motion of pretrial publicity.

"How do you account for the beating of two young children? You said you never saw bruises on either of your children," Clark County, Ind. Judge Daniel Moore said to Lay before showing him photos that showed bruising to the backs of Kalab and Kayla, according to an account from the Evansville Courier-Press.

"Those are pictures of the bodies of your children."

Moore said Lay continually put himself in front of his children during the investigation.

"Your job as a father was to protect him, nurture him .... you never saw bruises on that young man, that little boy; that is just a lie. That is coming to an end today," Moore said.

Moore sentenced Lay to 20 years on the charge of neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury to Kayla, and 50 years for reckless homicide and neglect of a dependent resulting in the death of Kalab, according to the Courier-Press account. An additional 30 years was added for Lay being a habitual offender. The sentences are consecutive.

The Lay family lived in Eldorado in 2004 when their children were placed in foster care after both parents were convicted on methamphetamine-related charges. They moved to Indiana after being released from prison, but their five children remained in foster care until an extended visit with Kalab and Kayla was granted in December 2007. That visit ended in tragedy - Kalab was taken to the hospital with serious injuries March 31, 2008.

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.