Joseph Daniels sentenced to life in prison with the chance of parole after 51 years

CHARLOTTE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A judge sentenced Joseph Daniels to life in prison with the chance of parole after 51 years in the death of his son, Joe Clyde Daniels.

Earlier this summer, a jury convicted Daniels of several charges, including second-degree murder and felony murder, which carries a life sentence.

The sentencing hearing comes more than three long years after Joe Clyde disappeared from his home. His remains have never been found.

Daniels was initially charged with first-degree premeditated murder, first-degree felony murder, aggravated child abuse, initiating a false report and tampering with evidence.

He was found guilty on all charges except first-degree premeditated murder, but the jury bumped that down, convicting him of second-degree murder.

Barring any successful appeals, NewsChannel 5 Legal Analyst Nick Leonardo says Daniels will likely spend the rest of his life in prison.

"Felony murder carries with it a life sentence, so the judge could've imposed the sentence that day and sent him on to the Department of Corrections to begin serving that sentence, but obviously he has that and he has a second-degree murder conviction... second-degree murder and felony murder essentially merge so there will be one sentence for both of those, which is life in prison," Leonardo said.

Leonardo added it's likely the judge will layer the conviction, adding time to the sentence for the 31-year-old father. If so, it means, "In all likelihood, he'll never be released unless his conviction is overturned on appeal."

This sets the stage for the prosecution of Joe Clyde's mother, Krystal, who is charged with aggravated child neglect. If convicted, that's a B felony, bringing eight to 12 years. However, she will likely be out of jail much sooner than that.

*Nick Beres contributed to this report.