An Owen County man was sentenced to 60 years in prison Monday for his role in the brutal murder of 15-month-old Shaylyn Ammerman last March.
Kyle Joseph Parker, 23, pleaded guilty to murder and kidnapping as part of his plea agreement from Owen County Prosecutor Donald VanDerMoere and Parker’s attorney, Jacob Fish. The other charges Parker was facing — including rape, failure to report a body, child molestation — have been dismissed. With good behavior, Parker could be out in 45 years.
“This is the functional equivalent of a life sentence for Mr. Parker,” VanDerMoere said in his oral argument. “We’ve chosen to put him away for the rest of his life because it’s what he deserves.”
After Parker’s arrest last spring, VanDerMoere had said he would seek life imprisonment without parole. The sentence Parker was given today is less severe than many had wanted, and some were outraged.
During the hearing, VanDerMoere said the DNA evidence found in the investigation did not heavily implicate Parker. There were questions about the veracity of the witnesses for the prosecution, VanDerMoere said, that led him to believe Parker might walk away if the case went to jury trial.
Judge Lori Quillen accepted the agreement with a heavy heart, and said she was doing so to minimize the suffering of Ammerman’s family and ensure Parker was locked away.
The court braced for protest the morning of the hearing, in accordance with a decorum order Judge Quillen issued beforehand, meant to maintain peace in the courtroom and minimize distraction. This is the first time such an order has ever been issued in Owen County.
The entrance to the courthouse was roped off and guarded by police officers, and all people were searched upon entry. Members of the press were credentialed before the hearing and confined to one area of the courtroom.
After the verdict was delivered, protesters stood outside yelling, “Why are you protecting a baby killer?” and holding signs that read “Where is the justice?”
On March 23, 2016, Parker kidnapped Ammermanhttp://www.idsnews.com/article/2016/03/police-search-for-missing-1-year-old-girl-from-spencer-indiana as she slept from her grandmother’s house in Spencer, Indiana, and drove her to Gosport, Indiana. At some point on the drive, Parker pulled over and raped the little girl in the front seat of his car . She was still alive when it happened.
Parker smothered Ammerman to death with a cloth he had in his Pontiac Grand Am and laid her bare body beside a tree by the White River. He burned her belongings — a onesie with owls on it and a Winnie the Pooh blanket.
The doctor who conducted Ammerman’s autopsy said it was the worst case of sexual trauma she had ever seen.
Since his arrest last year, Parker has been held in the Owen County Jail. At one point, he was placed on suicide watch.
Taylor Telford
