Prison For Father Of 13?

A man convicted of involuntary manslaughter for leaving his toddler daughter to die in a hot van should spend a year in prison, a jury recommended Wednesday.

Kevin Kelly, 46, was convicted last month in the death of 21-month-old Frances Kelly. The jury found he was responsible for leaving her alone, strapped into her car seat in the family van on May 29.

Investigators said the temperature inside the vehicle exceeded 120 degrees before passers-by found her seven hours later.

"I messed up, I messed up," Kelly, who has 12 other children, told jurors during the sentencing phase. "I take full responsibility."

The jury recommended a nine-month term for Kelly's conviction on involuntary manslaughter, plus three months for reckless endangerment. It could have recommended up to 10 years in prison for the manslaughter conviction and five years for reckless endangerment.

Circuit Judge Rossi Alston Jr. could reduce the recommended sentence but may not exceed the jury recommendation. He allowed Kelly to remain free on bail pending sentencing on Feb. 21.

Kelly's lawyer said he had entrusted two of his older children to take the younger children out of the van. The defense said each teenager thought the other had removed the girl from the van. Kelly's wife, Mary, was visiting relatives in Ireland at the time.

The prosecution faulted Kelly for blaming the death on his older children and said he never noticed his youngest child was missing.

Neighbors testified that they had seen the family's children left alone in car seats on other occasions.

By Derrill Holly