MUNCIE, IN — A Muncie mother convicted of neglect in the fatal shooting of her 5-year-old daughter should be sentenced to home detention, according to a member of her defense team.
A Delaware Circuit Court 5 jury on March 13 found Kimberly D. Grayson guilty of neglect of a dependent, a Level 1 felony carrying up to 40 years in prison.
The jury also found the 31-year-old Muncie woman guilty of three other neglect-of-a-dependent counts, Level 6 felonies with maximum 30-month sentences.
Testimony during Grayson’s trial indicated her daughter, Crystal, was fatally shot in the head on July 26, 2022, after her 6-year-old brother removed a loaded handgun from a safe in their parents’ bedroom.
Prosecutors said Grayson and her husband failed to take proper steps after the boy had accessed the safe on earlier occasions.
In a sentencing memorandum filed in recent days, defense attorney Caleb Morey recommended that his client receive a 20-year sentence — the minimum penalty for a Level 1 felony conviction — to be served on home detention.
Morey noted his client had no prior criminal convictions and has spent nearly four years on pretrial release without problems.
He suggested if Grayson received a long prison sentence, it could negatively affect her son, now 10 years old.
The attorney also said Grayson had “improved her life through her work with a case manager and learned a variety of skills that will help her be a better person and parent.”
Grayson was scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Thomas Cannon Jr. on Monday, April 13, but the hearing was postponed at the request of another defense attorney, Sam Beasley, who said he needed time to do additional legal research.
Her sentencing hearing is now set for May 1.
Grayson’s husband, 32-year-old Jacob C. Grayson, is set to stand trial on the same four charges on June 23.
Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Lawyer wants home detention for Muncie mother convicted in neglect case
Reporting by Douglas Walker, Muncie Star Press / Muncie Star Press
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