JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind.—The director of a southern Indiana funeral dwelling the place 31 decomposing our our bodies and the cremains of 17 others had been found pleaded accountable Friday to better than 40 counts of felony theft.
Randy Lankford, proprietor of Lankford Funeral Dwelling and Family Center in Jeffersonville, faces a proposed sentence of 12 years: 4 years in jail and eight years of dwelling incarceration, Clark County Circuit Courtroom docket Select N. Lisa Glickfield talked about.
Lankford was charged with theft for failing to complete the funeral suppliers he was paid for, and will moreover pay restitution to 53 households totaling $46,000.
Lankford was launched to dwelling incarceration following the listening to. A correct sentencing listening to is deliberate for June 23.
Jeffersonville Police began investigating the funeral dwelling early ultimate July after the county coroner’s office reported a strong odor emanating from the establishing. The unrefrigerated our our bodies had been current in quite a few states of decomposition, and some had been on the funeral dwelling since March.
Clark County Prosecutor Jeremy Mull talked about the quite a few costs in the direction of Lankford and current court docket docket backups from the COVID-19 pandemic tough the tactic. He talked about he felt the state’s switch to eradicate about half of the counts will grant primarily essentially the most quick kind of discount.
“We wished to get justice for these households,” he talked about.
Derrick Kessinger attended Friday’s court docket docket listening to. He talked about he trusted Lankford whereas the stays of three members of the family sat contained within the funeral dwelling.
“It’s been sturdy, nevertheless I do forgive him for what he did,” Kessinger talked about. “I hope he can uncover forgiveness.”
Kessinger lastly acquired the cremains.
Originally posted 2023-05-27 08:08:26.