IBERIA, Mo. — Judge Kenneth Michael Hayden on Wednesday sentenced Jerry Lee Henderson to four years in prison on the charge of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm. Henderson is the step-father of Macala Shelton, who was murdered in June of 2013, but officials say this case was not connected to that incident.
The execution of Henderson’s sentence was suspended by the judge, and he will instead be subject to five years of probation. If Henderson violates the terms of that probation, the judge could then invoke the four-year prison sentence.
In the investigation following Shelton’s murder, officials say they found firearms, magazines, and ammunition in Henderson’s home. It is illegal for him to possess firearms in the state of Missouri, due to a prior felony conviction. He was subsequently charged with Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, a Class C felony.
Henderson originally pled Not Guilty to the charge, but changed his plea to Guilty at a hearing in November.
Jerry Henderson’s brother, Steven Henderson, was accused of Shelton’s murder last June. He has pled Not Guilty to the charges of First Degree Murder and Armed Criminal Action.
