INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis man will serve less than seven years in prison after agreeing to plead guilty to dependent neglect in connection with the death of a one-year-old child.
Previous reports said Carl Hensley was arrested in February 2021 after detectives were made aware of a child with significant trauma at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital.
The Marion County Coroner’s Office ultimately ruled the infant’s cause of death a blunt-force head injury and ruled the death a homicide.
Hensley was initially charged with more serious charges, including murder and neglect of a dependent resulting in death. According to court documents, however, Hensley would eventually plead guilty in September to negligence of a dependent resulting in grievous bodily harm, a Tier 3 felony.
As part of the plea deal, the other, more serious charges against Hensley were dismissed.
Hensley was sentenced Friday to 16 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections. In Indiana, a level 3 felony carries a maximum sentence of 16 years.
The terms of Hensley’s sentencing were decided by the court after arguments from both sides. The Marion County District Attorney’s Office said he pleaded for an aggravated prison sentence, but ultimately the court opted to sentence Hensley to nine years execution at the DOC and two years on the outside of prison. community corrections.
Hensley’s final five years were suspended with 545 days to serve on probation.
Hensley was assigned to bereavement counseling classes and parenting while serving his time at the DOC.
Editor’s note: The court decided on the terms of Hensley’s sentencing, not the plea agreement, as originally reported in this report.
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