Joseph Traylor pleaded guilty after police said he attempted a motorcycle wheelie with his 15-month-old son strapped to his chest.
PRINCETON, Ky. — A Kentucky father has been sentenced to 20 years in prison more than two years after his 15-month-old son died in a motorcycle crash that police said happened as the father attempted a wheelie with the child strapped to his chest.
Joseph Traylor was sentenced Oct. 2 in Caldwell Circuit Court in connection with the July 5, 2024, death of his son, Terry Desmond Traylor. Traylor, who originally faced a murder charge, pleaded guilty in July to an amended charge of vehicular homicide while under the influence of drugs or substances. He also pleaded guilty to reckless driving and operating a motor vehicle under the influence under aggravating circumstances.
The case began with a motorcycle crash in the 300 block of Beverly Lane in Princeton. Princeton police said their investigation found Traylor was riding the motorcycle the wrong way on a one-way street while Terry was secured against his chest. Police said Traylor attempted a wheelie, lost control of the motorcycle and struck a telephone pole. Terry was 15 months old at the time.
Both father and son were taken by ambulance to Caldwell Medical Center after the crash. Terry was pronounced dead at the hospital. Traylor received treatment there before he was flown to Skyline Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Police later obtained a warrant for his arrest, and Traylor was taken into custody after his release from the hospital.
The initial criminal case carried substantially different charges. Princeton police sought Traylor on a warrant charging him with murder and reckless driving days after the crash. A Caldwell County grand jury later indicted him on charges of murder, reckless driving and driving under the influence. At an October 2024 arraignment before Circuit Judge Jamus Redd, Traylor entered a not-guilty plea.
During that arraignment, Commonwealth’s Attorney Carrie Ovey-Wiggins asked the court for an order involving the transfer of blood samples. Traylor’s public defender at the time raised no objection, and Redd granted the request. The case continued through the court system until Traylor reached a plea agreement in 2026, avoiding a trial on the original murder charge.
At the Oct. 2 sentencing hearing, Traylor’s attorney, Marc Wells, told the court that probation was not available because of the offense. Wells asked Redd to suspend fines associated with the lesser charges. When the judge offered Traylor an opportunity to address the court before sentencing, Traylor declined to speak.
Ovey-Wiggins asked the judge to follow the plea agreement and impose the 20-year prison sentence. She told the court that the death of such a young child had deeply affected Terry’s family. Redd said he had reviewed Traylor’s pre-sentence investigation report and determined that Traylor was not eligible for either probation or shock probation.
Redd imposed the 20-year sentence and ordered Traylor into the custody of the Kentucky Department of Corrections. The judge said Traylor must serve 85% of the sentence before he becomes eligible for parole. Redd also agreed to suspend fines connected to the two lesser offenses. The judge described the case as a tragedy and said he hoped the sentencing could provide some measure of closure for those affected.
Terry was born March 9, 2023, in Madisonville, Kentucky, according to his obituary. He died July 5, 2024, in Princeton. The obituary remembered the toddler for his smile and listed his mother, Adrianna Lewis, his father and several brothers and sisters among his surviving family members. Funeral services were held July 11, 2024, followed by burial at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Princeton.
The sentencing resolves the principal criminal case stemming from the 2024 motorcycle crash. Traylor is serving the 20-year sentence imposed by Caldwell Circuit Court and, under the terms stated by Redd at sentencing, will not be eligible for parole until he has served 85% of that term.
Author note: Last updated October 7, 2026.