JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. — The man accused of allowing dozens of bodies to decompose inside his southern Indiana funeral home has been sentenced but avoided jail time.
Last summer, authorities found 31 bodies -- in various stages of decompositions -- and 16 sets of cremains inside a Jeffersonville funeral home owned by Randy Lankford.
Lankford agreed to a plea deal last month. He plead guilty on 43 felony counts.
On Friday, Lankford took a plea deal and was sentenced to four years of supervised release including one year of home incarceration.
Under his plea agreement, Lankford is required to pay up to $46,000 in restitution to the impacted families.
If Lankford violates the terms of his release, his probation will be extended to 11 years.
During his sentencing, seven families read victim impact statements.
"When my kids go outside, I see his face in the dirt because he was in the stages of advanced decomposition. And looked like dirt," Ariel Chillers, who lost her brother, said.
While he sat expressionless through all the statements, Lankford later offered up words of remorse.
"I want you to know there is not a day that goes by that goes by that I do not regret my decisions, that I do not regret the actions that I displayed," he said.
At least 20 families are suing the former funeral home owner saying they were given the wrong remains.
The State Board of Funeral and Cemetery Service suspended Lankford's funeral director license last August. It has since been revoked.
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