Life term sought in baby slaying case

PORTLAND – If Jay County Prosecutor Wes Schemenaur has his way, Dalton R. Davis has tasted freedom for the last time.

Davis, 21, is charged with murder in the brutal slaying of Lillian Grace Lloyd, his girlfriend’s 5-week-old daughter.

On Thursday, Schemenaur  filed documents necessary to pursue a sentence of life imprisonment without parole for Davis.

In a confession to police, Davis allegedly said he was angry with his girlfriend when he took her baby outside their home – in the 8800 block of North Jay County Road 550-W – on the night of Sept. 28.

According to a report filed by Capt. Patrick Wells of the Jay County Sheriff’s Office, Davis said he “took (the baby) by the legs and forcefully struck her body on the concrete two or three times, with her back and head striking the ground.”

An autopsy showed the little girl had likely died instantly from skull injuries.

Police: Man confessed to baby's brutal killing

Davis – who was not the child’s father – was arrested Sept. 30, and continues to be held without bond in the Jay County jail. A date has not yet been set for his Jay Circuit Court trial.

Indiana’s criminal code had not included a life sentence as an option in murder cases for several years until it was revived by Hoosier lawmakers in 1993.

Since then, it has only been pursued in a handful of East Central Indiana homicide cases. If sought by a prosecutor, a jury has the option of imposing a life sentence after finding a defendant guilty of murder.

If the jury can’t reach a unanimous decision, the trial judge would determine whether a life sentence would be issued.

A murder conviction normally carries a maximum 65-year prison term.

Contact news reporter Douglas Walker at (765) 213-5851. You can also follow him on Twitter @DouglasWalkerSP.