Overview
- Jacob Vera pleaded guilty on Nov. 6 to neglect of a dependent resulting in serious bodily injury, a Level 3 felony.
- Multiple outlets report sentencing is set for Dec. 1, and coverage says he faces up to nine years in prison, though one local report states a nine-year term was imposed.
- Authorities say the children were left alone for hours at a Muncie motel as their mother worked, and she returned to find the infant unresponsive in a swing and the toddler crying.
- Medical personnel observed rigor mortis, and the coroner ruled the 3-month-old died of asphyxiation.
- Witnesses recounted giving Vera a ride to Illinois, and he told investigators he left to avoid 'drama,' saying, 'If I'm guilty of anything it's the leaving.'