Man Sentenced Up To 22 Years For The Death Of A 20-Month-Old In 2013

CATAWBA COUNTY, NC — A Hickory man will spend the next 17 to 22 years in prison after being found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of a 20-month-old child.

William Howard Lail, III, 30, was found guilty Tuesday in the May 2013 death of Jaydon Sandlin. The jury also convicted Lail on two counts of felony child abuse, and two counts of non-felonious child abuse against Jaydon and his sister Kylie.

According to reports, Lail was a caretaker for the children, along with their mother Whitney Weathers, 26. Reports showed that the children received severe burns and bruising, among other injuries, while in their care.

Officials say Lail testified that the burns were the result of scalding water after being left unattended in a bath tub, but medical experts disputed that claim. Reports also showed that Jaydon had severe bruising and more than 130 injuries throughout his entire body.

Investigators determined that the injuries were all signs of neglect and physical abuse.

Lail admitted that Jaydon drowned in the bath tub after he left the toddler unattended, and that he gave a false statement to authorities regarding Jaydon’s death on May 3, 2013.

Jaydon and Kylie’s mother, Whitney Weathers, was also charged in the case. Weathers was sentenced to three to eight years in prison after pleading guilty in May 2017 to one count of child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury and four counts of child abuse inflicting serious physical injury.

Officials say Weathers was also found negligent for the way she allowed Lail to discipline her two children.

Weathers admitted that she and Lail would strap the children into car seats and put them closets, and left them home alone while going out.

At the end of Lail’s trail, which lasted more than four weeks, he was sentenced to an active prison term of 17 to 22 years, plus an additional 300 days to be served at the end of that sentence.