Dunbar man receives maximum sentence in girlfriend’s death
By Zach Petroff
zpetroff@heraldstandard.com
A Dunbar man who beat his girlfriend to death will spend the next 20 to 40 years in prison.
Thomas Leroy Dean, 51, was sentenced on Wednesday by Fayette County Senior Judge John F. Wagner Jr.
Dean pleaded guilty in September to third-degree murder in the death of his longtime girlfriend Amy Jo Craig. The sentence imposed is the maximum allowed by law.
“We are extremely satisfied with the sentence,” said Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele. “It was a sad situation, but we are glad the court gave him the appropriate punishment for a long history of domestic violence.”
Craig died five months after sustaining severe injuries from Dean inside their shared home nearly three years ago.
According to police, on Nov. 21, 2021 Fayette EMS was called to the couple’s Dunbar home where they found Craig unresponsive with bruising to her eyes and abdomen, and swelling on the sides of her head as the result of a brain bleed.
Craig was flown to Ruby Memorial hospital in Morgantown, W. Va. She was eventually discharged from the hospital, but remained under medical care until she died from her injuries on April 16, 2022.
Aubele said police had obtained a 42-minute recording from Craig’s phone that captured audio of Dean physically abusing Craig and threatening to kill her.
Dean had been held without bond since his arrest in January of last year and received 666 days credit for time served.
Dean’s attorney, Matthew Jaynes, did not respond to a request for comment.