Shelby County man sentenced to life in prison

A former Chelsea resident was convicted for the 2012 murder of his grandmother.

Alabama attorney General Luther Strange announced the conviction of Daniel Scott Gentry, 27, yesterday. The capital murder conviction carries a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

The murder of Carrie Elaine Gentry, 64, occurred March 28, 2012 at her home on Chelsea Road.

Prosecutors said Carrie Gentry’s son reported her missing on March 29, 2012, and she was not located during a search by Shelby County Sheriff’s Office. An investigation showed Daniel Gentry, who lived on her property, was the last person to see her alive, according to prosecutors. Blood was also found in Carrie Gentry’s home, and DNA matched some to her.

Carrie Gentry’s car was located on April 12, 2012. The car was found in a quarry on Shale Road, and her body was found rolled up in a rug inside the vehicle.

Autopsy results showed multiple head injuries, including skull fractures, a stab wound to her stomach, defensive wounds to her hands and a fracture of her spine. Injuries were consistent with strangulation, and the cause of death was determined to be blunt force injuries to her head and strangulation.

Daniel Gentry pleaded guilty to the murder of his grandmother during the investigation, admitting he cleaned up the house and disposed of her body in the quarry.

“This murder was a terrible violation of human decency that horrifies us all,” Strange said. “At the very least, justice demands that he spend the rest of his life in prison, as provided by today’s sentence.”