A state appeals court has upheld the conviction of a Portland man for the voluntary manslaughter of his father. Jeremy W. Kelly, 51, pleaded guilty to the charge last June and was subsequently sentenced to 30 years in prison by Judge Brian Hutchison. The incident occurred on February 25, 2022, when Kelly’s father, 71-year-old Gary W. Kelly, sustained fatal injuries during a struggle in his Portland home. Witnesses reported a heated argument between the father and son the night before the incident. Upon Jeremy Kelly’s arrest in Wayne County, he was found in possession of his father’s wallet, credit cards, and two firearms.
Kelly’s guilty plea to voluntary manslaughter resulted in the dismissal of two other charges: murder and robbery resulting in serious bodily injury. However, in his appeal, Jeremy Kelly claimed the plea was made under duress. His request to withdraw the guilty plea and to be appointed a new public defender were both denied by Judge Hutchison on the day of his sentencing. The Indiana Court of Appeals has since rejected Kelly’s arguments in a 3-0 ruling.
Jeremy Kelly’s prior criminal record, which includes convictions for battery against a public safety officer, battery resulting in serious bodily injury, battery with a deadly weapon, criminal confinement, and intimidation, prohibited him from possessing firearms. In May 2021, he had also pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon in Wayne Circuit Court, which led to an additional nine-year sentence.
Currently incarcerated at the Indiana Department of Correction’s reception diagnostic center, Jeremy Kelly is projected to be released in May 2051, at the age of 79.
Contacted for comment, Douglas Walker, news reporter for The Star Press, can be reached at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.
