A Kentucky man will spend 20 years in state prison after a judge accepted a plea agreement in connection with the murder of a 17-month-old child in Bell County, Ky., in 2023.

A Bell County judge accepted the agreement Tuesday morning.

Harvey Gollahan, 45, had been facing murder and other charges in the death of Elena Hembree in July 2023.

By agreement, the murder charge was dismissed. Gollahan will serve three consecutive five-year terms for first-degree criminal abuse of a child under age 12 plus another five years on a separate case, records state. Gollahan has an arrest record that includes drugs.

Court records show Gollahan knew Elena had been abused by her mother, Erica Lawson, while in Gollahan's Bell County home.

Credit: KY Dept of Corrections Erica Lawson, who murdered her t

See Full Page