BY TYLER JURANOVICH
MARION (Chronicle- Tribune) — The Wabash man who plead guilty to charges connected to the hit-and-run death of a Marion woman will spend more than a decade in prison.
Tyler Wayne Lisby, 39, Wabash, was sentenced to 16 years in prison, with two years suspended, on early Friday morning.
After serving 12 years, Lisby can apply to take part in the state’s “Purposeful Incarceration” program, designed to treat inmates with drug addictions and help them get clean. If Lisby completes the program, he can then ask the court to be put in community corrections or reentry court for the remainder of his sentence, whatever that may be.
On April 13, 2015, Lisby struck and killed Marla Turner of Marion while driving in the Marion Marsh parking lot before fleeing the scene. Turner died on July 5, 2015, due to injuries sustained in the incident, after spending nearly four months in a coma.
Last month, as part of a plea agreement, Lisby plead guilty to one count of reckless homicide, a level three felony, and one count of leaving the scene of an accident while intoxicated, a level five felony, both stemming from the hit-and-run.
The sentencing comes nearly a year after Turner’s death, though members of Turner’s family said Friday’s sentencing did not provide much closure.
“There’s no justice today,” Patty Jack, one of Turner’s sisters, said. “We’re not happy with the sentencing. It’s just not right.”
Turner’s death has had a profound impact on her family, Jack said.
Turner, who worked in the laundry department of Marion General Hospital, was the household’s main source of income, leaving her son Brad and her husband Chris in a bind to pay bills, while also having to deal with the tragic and sudden loss of a loved one. Jack, herself, said she is still suffering from depression because of her sister’s death.
“It’s been hard for the family. Very hard,” Jack said, adding that, at the moment, the family cannot forgive Lisby for what he did.
Grant County Deputy Prosecutor Lisa Glancy said she understands the family’s frustration, but that the prosecutor’s office was only working within what state law says punishment can be for the charges to which Lisby plead guilty.
“They’re hurting, and I understand that, but we’re only following the statutes,” Glancy said, adding that a level three felony in Indiana carries a maximum sentence of 16 years in prison. “I’m happy and pleased with the sentence. Hopefully, he (Lisby) is successful with the program and he gets clean.”