VIGO COUNTY, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — A man found guilty of murder in November will now spend up to 60 years in prison following sentencing Friday.
Richard Sandlin appeared in Vigo County Superior Court 3 for sentencing Friday morning. He had been found guilty in the shooting death of Donald Riley Jr. on September 3, 2022. Vigo County Prosecutors pointed out that Sandlin had an extensive criminal history with 10 felony and 15 misdemeanor convictions through five states. The judge considered Sandlin’s multiple previous offenses along with Sandlin also violating conditions of a probation in a recent case and determined that those previous cases warranted an aggravated sentence.
Judge Sarah K. Mullican then handed down a sentence of 60 years and ordered Sandlin to be transferred to the custody of the Indiana Department of Corrections.
Prosecutor Terry Modesitt said he was satisfied with the sentence.
“First, I want recognize Mr. Riley’s family and the impact this has had on them,” said Prosecutor Modesitt. “Once again, during the sentencing hearing, the defendant wanted to point blame at other people for his crime. Regardless of the allegations, nobody has the right to take the law into their own hands. And Mr. Sandlin will likely serve the remainder of his life in prison for doing just that when he executed Donald Riley, Jr. over unproven allegations.”
Modesitt thanked everyone involved in the effort to investigate and prosecute Sandlin following the death including THPD Detective Phil Ralston, Investigator Brad Rumsey, and Victims Assistance Director Brittany Quance.
