CLINTON, INDIANA: A murderer, who confessed to killing his former girlfriend and her grandmother in 2021 outside an Indiana automotive seating plant, was sentenced to 110 years in prison on Thursday, September 7.
Gary C Ferrell II, 28, of Frankfort, pleaded guilty in April to two counts of murder in the deaths of Promise Mays, 21, and Pamela Sledd, 62, both of Rossville.
Who were Pamela Sledd and Promise Mays?
Pamela Sledd, 62, and her granddaughter Promise Mays, 21, from Rossville were co-workers of Ferrell at NHK Seating of America in Frankfort, a plant that designs and makes seating for vehicles.
They had driven to the plant together and were about to start their shift on August 18, 2021, when Ferrell who worked a different shift, shot them multiple times in the parking lot, as per Journal and Courier.
Ferrell then fled the scene in a blue Ford Focus, reaching speeds of 90-100 mph before crashing in a construction zone in Frankfort.
He was arrested without incident after the crash when Ferell wrecked Frankfort Police Chief Scott Shoemaker's car, Clinton County Sheriff Rich Kelly said at the time.
What did judge Justin H Hunter say in his verdict?
Clinton Superior Court Judge Justin H Hunter wrote in his sentencing order that the murders were premeditated and “brutal and heinous”.
He said that Ferrell “acted out an entitlement to control and possess Promise Mays, whether in life or in death, even though she had demonstrated only kindness for the many people whom she encountered in her short and precious life", according to WISH-TV.
Hunter also noted that the two family members “watched the other being shot", adding to the horror of the crime.
Did Gary C Ferrell II try to kidnap Promise Mays before killing her?
Ferrell had avoided a possible death sentence by pleading guilty. He also revealed that he had intended to kill himself after shooting Mays, as Local 10 reported.
According to a probable cause affidavit, reported by WRTV Ferrell had tried to force Mays into the trunk of his car before he shot her at the plant.
He had also reportedly sent her threatening messages and photos of guns before the shooting.
Mays and Sledd were described by their family and friends as loving, caring and hardworking women who had a close bond as grandmother and granddaughter.
They were among the first employees hired at the new NHK plant which had opened only a couple of months earlier near the I-65 interchange for State Road 28.
Frankfort is about 50 miles northwest of Indianapolis. Clinton County has a population of about 32,800 residents.
