GRANT COUNTY, Ind. — The Indiana Supreme Court has upheld a life sentence for a woman convicted of murdering her stepdaughter.
Amanda Carmack’s legal team argued that she killed 10-year-old Skylea Carmack in an act of “sudden heat” and should’ve been convicted of something less than murder. Skylea’s body was found in a trash bag near the family’s house in 2019. Prosecutors say Amanda killed Skylea after a fight over a stolen bracelet and later hid the body.
A Silver Alert was issued for Skylea on September 1st, 2019. Amanda Carmack admitted to killing Skylea just a few days later.
The Indiana Supreme Court says the “sudden heat” argument doesn’t hold up because Skylea was killed a few hours after the fight, which shows Amanda had plenty of time to cool off after the confrontation.
Amanda Carmack also tried to claim that Skylea’s reaction to being punished for doing something bad also provoked her murder. The justices at Indiana’s highest court disagree.
“At most, Carmack’s subjective parenting issues with (Skylea) could have been addressed through rote disciplinary measures, not strangulation,” Justice Mark Massa wrote.
Amanda Carmack is serving life at the Indiana Women’s Prison in Indianapolis.
