Indiana man gets 46 years in twin sons' house fire deaths

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - A Lafayette man convicted in his twin 3-year-old sons' deaths in a 2014 house fire has been sentenced to 46 years in prison.

Brandon Abbott, 38, was sentenced this week after a Tippecanoe County jury convicted him in June on 13 counts, including two counts of neglect resulting in death, in the April 2014 fire that killed twins Landon and Liam Abbott.

Abbott, who has been incarcerated since 2014, will have to serve half of his 46-year sentence, followed by six years of probation under the sentence handed down Monday, the Journal & Courier reported.

Abbott was initially sentenced to 70 years in prison in 2015 after he pleaded guilty to two counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in death.

But a Tippecanoe County judge set aside his guilty plea, conviction and sentence in 2019 after Abbott applied for post conviction relief, saying his attorney didn't advise him about the consequences of his guilty pleas in his sons' deaths.

The boys died from smoke inhalation in the rented house near the town of Mulberry, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northwest of Indianapolis, while on a weekend visit with their father.

Prosecutors said the fatal fire occurred after Abbott slept off a night of partying as his twins were left unattended downstairs.