The man convicted of killing his 9-year-old neighbor was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, a spokeswoman for the Spalding County Superior Court said Friday.
Late Thursday, a jury convicted Shane Clifton Collett in the December 2012 murder of Skylar Jade Dials. Collett was found guilty on all charges, including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, cruelty to children in the first degree and concealing a death. His sentencing followed.
Skylar was a fourth-grader when she left her home in the Williamson community on a morning just days before Christmas to a walk down a gravel road to a friend’s house about a quarter-mile away. She planned to spend the night with her friend, and had left home wearing her favorite sweater: a hand-me-down pink and white cardigan, her family told police. That afternoon, Skylar was reported missing.
Collett was among the neighbors that helped search for Skylar for several hours before her body was located. He was arrested the same night.
Skylar’s family declined to comment on the verdict and sentencing, telling the AJC only that relatives were happy with the verdict and relieved the trial ended.
In honor of Skylar’s 12th birthday, which would have been Feb. 4, her family has asked for $12 donations be made to the Griffin-Spalding Humane Society in her name.
“This is a fitting tribute to a precious little girl who had a tender heart toward animals,” a family friend said in an emailed statement.
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