The director of a southern Indiana funeral house the place 31 decomposing our bodies and 17 cremains have been discovered has pleaded responsible to greater than 40 counts of felony theft
JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. — The director of a southern Indiana funeral house the place 31 decomposing our bodies and the cremains of 17 others have been discovered pleaded responsible Friday to greater than 40 counts of felony theft.
Randy Lankford, proprietor of Lankford Funeral House and Household Middle in Jeffersonville, faces a proposed sentence of 12 years: 4 years in jail and eight years of house incarceration, Clark County Circuit Court docket Choose N. Lisa Glickfield mentioned.
Lankford was charged with theft for failing to finish the funeral companies he was paid for, and should additionally pay restitution to 53 households totaling $46,000.
Lankford was launched to house incarceration following the listening to. A proper sentencing listening to is deliberate for June 23.
Jeffersonville Police started investigating the funeral house early final July after the county coroner’s workplace reported a powerful odor emanating from the constructing. The unrefrigerated our bodies have been present in varied states of decomposition, and a few had been on the funeral house since March.
Clark County Prosecutor Jeremy Mull mentioned the various fees towards Lankford and current court docket backups from the COVID-19 pandemic sophisticated the method. He mentioned he felt the state’s transfer to eradicate about half of the counts will grant probably the most instant type of aid.
“We wished to get justice for these households,” he mentioned.
Derrick Kessinger attended Friday’s court docket listening to. He mentioned he trusted Lankford whereas the stays of three family members sat contained in the funeral house.
“It’s been powerful, however I do forgive him for what he did,” Kessinger mentioned. “I hope he can discover forgiveness.”
Kessinger finally obtained the cremains.
