Man sentenced in friend's death

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - A Lafayette man who beat his friend to death with a baseball bat was sentenced to prison.

Jeremy Knoy, 26, was found guilty of murdering Derek Liphard in December of 2008.

Before the sentencing, Liphard's mother, Liphard's sister, and the mother of Liphard's child spoke. Many in the court room cried as the family members told Knoy they did not hate him, but hated what he had done.

Knoy made a short apology, saying he was sorry.

Superior Court Judge Randy Williams sentenced Knoy to 60 years partially because of the brutality of the crime which included stabbing Liphard and hitting him in the head 10 to 15 times with a bat. Tippecanoe County Prosecutor Pat Harrington asked for the maximum sentence of 65 years.

"The sentencing is fair and accurate based on Indiana law. It's certainly not fair based on a human life was taken. A family, lost a son and brother and a child lost her father," explained Harrington.

Knoy will also have to pay almost $19,000 to the family for funeral expenses.