Edwards Sentenced To Thirteen Years Following Conviction at Trial

The victim, who was six (6) months pregnant at the time of the incident.

Jacob Edwards. Photo Provided. 

On March 29, 2021, Jacob A. Edwards was sentenced following his conviction at a jury trial on March 3, in the Jefferson County Circuit Court. Edwards was convicted of battery on a pregnant woman, a level 5 felony. Following the trial, he pled guilty to a separate pending level 6 felony battery case and as a habitual offender. The convictions also resulted in a revocation of Edwards’s suspended sentence in an additional matter. In total, the Jefferson County Prosecutor’s Office secured a thirteen-year sentence for Edwards.

The trial and sentencing were the culmination of an investigation that began on October 29th, 2020, at approximately 9:25 a.m. when police were dispatched to Kings Daughters Hospital in Madison. Officer Joseph Gibson of the Madison Police Department responded to interview the victim of a reported battery that occurred at Presidential Estates apartments.

The victim, who was six (6) months pregnant at the time of the incident, reported she had been battered by Jacob Edwards, 22, and Breanna Hensley, 24, at the apartment complex. The victim stated that she and Edwards had gone to get food earlier in the morning and parked in a parking lot of Tractor Supply, where they got into a minor argument. The victim told police Edwards then drove to Presidential Estates where they began arguing again over her not wanting to engage in a relationship with Edwards while he was involved with another woman. The victim then told police Hensley pulled up during the argument and it was at that time that Edwards struck her and that both Hensley and Edwards knew of her pregnancy.

The victim described the incident as causing her to blackout and lose consciousness. She reported she was held down and struck multiple times inside the vehicle. She told police that Edwards and Hensley exited her vehicle and left together after the assault.

During the investigation, police reviewed surveillance footage provided by a citizen captured from a nearby apartment. In the footage, Edwards could be seen striking the victim several times while she was still in her vehicle. The entire assault was caught on video and lasted approximately six (6) minutes. Hensley can be heard on the video saying, “Jake, get off her, get off her,” and then asking him to go. The video also shows the two exiting the victim's vehicle and leaving together.

Regarding the sentence, Jefferson County Prosecutor, David Sutter, stated, “The punishment certainly fits the crime here. Mr. Edwards engaged in extremely violent conduct against a pregnant woman. That, plus his lengthy criminal history, justifies his commitment to the Indiana Department of Correction for over a decade. Our community is safer, and the victim can sleep easier.”

This case was the first trial following the shutdown from the pandemic. Prosecutor Sutter notes that the court system has opened back up to a heavy caseload. “By the time of sentencing in this case, we have already completed another jury trial with several more scheduled in the coming weeks,” said Sutter. “My office and I will remain vigilant in our fight to keep our streets safe and will make every effort to maintain the results the people of Jefferson County have come to expect and deserve.”

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