Hundley pleads guilty to murder by neglect

A Harbeson man pleaded guilty May 8 to killing his 8-month-old son by neglect.

Doyle J. Hundley, 39, clad in prison whites since his 2015 arrest for his son Aiden's death, was shackled as he accepted a plea.

He answered all of Judge Richard Stokes’ questions with clear “yes, sir” or “no, sir” answers, and he declined to comment further when Stokes gave him the opportunity.

Murder by abuse or neglect carries a minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of life in prison. A pre-sentence investigation is underway before Hundley is sentenced.

“He is aware that this is a very severe impact,” said defense attorney Jerome Capone in reference to Hundley's guilty plea.

Hundley said he is taking medication for anxiety, but that it has no effect on his plea. In 2015, he said, he spent time in Dover Behavioral Health, but it did not have to do with the charges.

The state says Hundley caused the death of his child by engaging in a pattern of neglect from March 2015 to May 2015.

Hundley’s girlfriend and Aiden's mother, Casey Layton, 29, is facing murder by abuse or neglect in the boy's death. A trial is scheduled for September. Hundley has agreed to testify if her case goes to trial.

In May 2015, police began investigating the couple after a 911 call reporting that 3-month-old Aiden was suffering from a seizure and was not responsive. The boy was flown to A.I. DuPont Children’s Hospital in Wilmington, where he was admitted in critical condition due to multiple broken bones and a serious head injury. Aiden remained on life support for five months before dying; an autopsy ruled that his death was a homicide due to blunt force trauma to the head.

Police said Aiden had numerous other injuries, including a fractured skull and clavicle, a several-weeks-old left femur fracture and an E.coli blood infection. Police said Layton and Hundley offered no plausible explanation for the injuries. Aiden’s death led to legislation, known as Aiden’s Law, requiring hospitals to establish care plans before a child is discharged from the hospital.

State prosecutor Melanie Withers recommended a sentence capped at 30 years, but Stokes said a judge will determine the final sentence at the conclusion of a pre-sentence investigation.