BEDFORD COUNTY (WSLS 10) – Leslie Engleking, one of several suspects charged in the case revolving around Lloyd Welch Junior and the Lyon sisters, will not serve any jail time.
On Tuesday in Bedford County Circuit Court, a judge sentenced him to five years of jail time, with all five suspended.
In February, Engleking pleaded no contest to a perjury charge. During that court hearing, Bedford County Commonwealth's Attorney Randy Krantz said Engleking has been cooperative after admitting he made false statements to investigators.
Now, Engleking will be on active probation for a year.
During Tuesday's proceedings, prosecutors asked the judge to go above the guidelines and sentence him to 90 days, but the judge said no.
Engleking is the brother of Patricia Welch, who is accused of falsely testifying before a grand jury. Her husband, Richard Welch, was considered a "person of interest" in the 1975 disappearance of Sheila and Katherine Lyon. Richard Welch is the uncle of Lloyd Welch Junior, who is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the Lyon sisters' deaths. He's scheduled to go to trial in October. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.
So far two other people have been convicted in this case. Back in November, Gladys Stangee pleaded no contest to obstruction of justice and Amy Welch-Johnson, also charged with obstruction to justice, entered an Alford plea. She was sentenced to 12 months in jail.