Ind. man sentenced to 110 years for killing ex-girlfriend and her grandmother outside auto plant

FRANKFORT, Ind. (TCD) -- A 28-year-old man will ostensibly spend the rest of his life in prison for killing his 21-year-old ex-girlfriend and her grandmother two years ago.

In a statement Thursday, Sept. 7, the Clinton County Prosecutor’s Office announced a judge sentenced Gary Ferrell II to 110 years in prison for fatally shooting 62-year-old Pamela Sledd and 21-year-old Promise Mays on Aug. 18, 2021. In April, Ferrell pleaded guilty to two counts of murder.

The Prosecutor’s Office said the plea agreement meant he would be sentenced to 45 to 65 years for each murder count, and the sentences would be served consecutively. Psychologists and psychiatrists reportedly determined Ferrell had an intellectual disability, which meant he would not be eligible for the death penalty or life without parole.

On Aug. 18, 2021, at 4:14 p.m., Clinton County deputies responded to the NHK Seating plant in Frankfort after multiple people called to report shots fired, and when they arrived, they found Mays and Sledd deceased from apparent gunshot wounds. Deputies learned Ferrell fled the scene and engaged in a brief pursuit with him until he crashed into a construction area.

According to the Lafayette Journal & Courier, Ferrell drove into the parking lot and parked next to Sledd’s vehicle. He then pulled Mays out of Mays' car and attempted to put her in his trunk. Sledd tried to rescue her granddaughter and argued with Ferrell, but he shot her three times. Ferrell shot Mays as she was hiding behind his car.

WISH-TV reports Judge Justin Hunter told Ferrell at the sentencing he "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."

MORE:

• Press Statement - Clinton County Prosecutor's Office
• 28-year-old murderer of 2 women outside Frankfort factory sentenced to 110 years - WISH
• Indiana man pleads guilty to killing ex-girlfriend and her grandmother outside factory, 4/20/2023 - TCD
• Press Release, 8/18/2021 - Clinton County Sheriff's Office
• NHK murderer pleads guilty to 2021 killings in factory parking lot, 4/19/2023 - Lafayette Journal & Courier