6/5/2012 - MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan (AFNS) -- At a general court-martial held here May 17, 2012, an Air Force NCO was found guilty of causing the death of his 1-year-old son in 2009.
A panel of officer and enlisted court members served as the jury for the one-week trial and found Staff Sgt. Keith L. Lovely guilty of causing rotational force injuries and blunt force trauma to Landon Lovely's head and of failing to seek medical attention after his son suffered those injuries, resulting in his death.
Lovely, who was with the 19th Logistics Readiness Squadron at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., and formerly assigned to the 35th Logistics Readiness Squadron here, was sentenced to a dishonorable discharge, seven years confinement and a reduction to E-1. His confinement will be spent in a high-security federal penitentiary.
The Misawa Office of Special Investigations began investigating Lovely after his son's autopsy revealed that he died as a result of non-accidental trauma consistent with child abuse. The medical examiner who performed the autopsy discovered bleeding in several portions of the child's skull and brain.
"In several interviews with OSI conducted after his son's death, Lovely provided inconsistent explanations as to how Landon received multiple skull and brain injuries," said Lt. Col. Suzette Seuell, the 35th Fighter Wing Staff Judge Advocate. "OSI ruled out other suspects and forwarded the evidence to the Little Rock Air Force Base legal office for action."
The court was convened at Misawa Air Base because it is Lovely's former base assignment and also where the death occurred. This was the first time the base held a general court-martial since 2010.
(Courtesy of the 35th Fighter Wing Legal Office.)
Comments
8/23/2012 9:12:51 AM ET The sick thing is his family is currently sending out emails to everyone who knew Lovely asking to provide clemency letter's to appeal an early release. It's crap.
Mom, LRAFB
6/11/2012 9:35:22 AM ET 7 years? Really That's all a defenseless child's life is worth? This is sickening. One of the two people the child was supposed to trust and who were supposed to love that child unconditionally kills him and they only get 7 YEARS? This person should have been brought out to a firing squad as soon as he was found guilty. Apparently our military court system has been taken over by the liberals since they apparently have a total disregard for human life. Now they are going to try to rehabilitate this sicko when in reality he should be put to death. Way to go judge you just set a precedent that a child's life is essentially worthless. Maybe the members of the court should go to a children's hospital and see babies that are hospitalized for shaken baby syndrome. No matter how tough you are you will cry and you will want to kill the people responsible. I chalk this up as a failure of the military judicial system.
1MadTSgt, CONUS
6/7/2012 12:02:51 PM ET Only 7 years. Drug runs get more and Federal Prison is a cake walk compaired to State prisons where the inmates would increase his punishment they take special interest in child abusers. Hopefully the guards will help make his every day count so he will have a miserable 7 years. The only good thing is he can never hold a job position with any company who has a government contract because of his dishonorable discharge that will help him remember what he did for the rest of his life. I pray his Family will be able to get past this terrible time and time will heal their pain.
SNCO Ret 89, Ohio
6/6/2012 11:12:25 PM ET Good to see the AF legal eagles going after REAL crime and putting people in Jail that need to be there and not some trumped up charge to satisfy a General Officer's concern about IMAGE. RIP little Landon rest in the arms of god.
Big A Airman, TX
6/5/2012 10:27:50 AM ET Good. There's a special place reserved for him.
