CHARLOTTE, Tenn. — Joe Clyde Daniels' body still has not been found, but his father is expected to be sentenced to life in prison for the boy's murder.
The sentencing is set for Tuesday and it will set the stage for the prosecution next of the little boy's mother Krystal.
A jury convicted Joseph Daniels of killing his son Joe Clyde and that means a 51-year sentence with a chance of parole. But there are a string of charges that will keep him in prison for life.
Joe Clyde disappeared from his Dickson County home more than three years ago. His remains have never been found. But at trial earlier this summer the jury convicted his father Joseph of felony murder and 2nd-degree murder.
At sentencing this means life with parole, but "Then the judge will have to determine a sentence for especially aggravated child abuse ... tampering with evidence and the false report," said Newschannel5 legal analyst Nick Leonardo.
He 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 next of Joe Clyde's mother Krystal who is charged with aggravated child neglect -- or failing to protect her son from the father.
If convicted, that's a B felony bringing eight to 12 years. But she'll likely be out of jail much sooner than that.
"She's been in jail for a little over three years I believe so there's a chance that if she is convicted and with time served she may not do three years max before she is eligible for parole," said Leonardo.
Krystal is not charged with murder like her husband Joseph. Prosecutors believe it was her husband alone who beat Joe Clyde to death.
But Leonardo said, "I think there is certainly the possibility she knows more than she has told."
Could Krystal have some insight into the location of Joe Clyde's body? That's a question she's sure to be asked again but, to date, she denies having any such knowledge. Krystal Daniels is scheduled to stand trial in February of next year.
