GAS CITY, Ind. — The Indiana Supreme Court upheld the Grant Circuit Court's decision of life without parole for a Gas City woman in the murder of her 10-year-old stepdaughter in September 2019.
Attorneys on behalf of Amanda Carmack argued whether sufficient evidence proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Amanda did not act in "sudden heat" when she killed 10-year-old Skylea Carmack. The Indiana Supreme Court agreed with the court's conviction.
According to court documents, Amanda told investigators Skylea disappeared after she told her to clean her room while she made dinner. Asked if she killed the girl, Amanda neither admitted to the crime nor denied it.
Amanda was arrested after investigators found Skylea's body in a plastic bag in a shed behind her home.
Amanda was found guilty in August 2021 of killing Skylea. The jury recommended the sentence after convicting her of murder, neglect of a dependent and strangulation.
She was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Sept. 15, 2021.
Gas City is roughly 70 miles northeast of downtown Indianapolis.