Terre Haute man receives 60 years in 2022 homicide

David Kronke, The Tribune-Star, Terre Haute, Ind.
·1 min read

Dec. 29—Richard "Tony" Sandlin was sentenced to 60 years in prison Friday morning in the shooting death of Donald Riley, Jr. on Sept. 3, 2022.

Vigo Superior Court Division 3 Judge Sarah Mullican found that Sandlin's extensive criminal history of 10 felony and 15 misdemeanor convictions across five states, along with his failure to comply with conditions of probation in a recent case, warranted an aggravated sentence.

During the sentencing hearing, Sandlin blamed the event on law enforcement for not immediately following up on a complaint against Riley for the death.

igo County Prosecutor Terry Modesitt, lead prosecutor at the trial, expressed satisfaction with the outcome.

"First, I want to recognize Mr. Riley's family and the impact this has had on them," Modesitt said. "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."

Terre Haute Police Detective Phil Ralston was lead on the investigation with Investigator Brad Rumsey assisting. Victim's Assistance Director Brittany Quance counseled the Riley family throughout the prosecution.