A brutal Inverness killing that shocked a quiet neighborhood has ended with a sentence that will likely keep the convicted woman behind bars for the rest of her life.
Tracey Lee Stanley, 63, was sentenced Friday to 40 years in prison for the 2024 murder of her roommate, 72-year-old Andrea Kathleen Day, according to the office of State Attorney William Gladson.
Day was discovered dead inside her home on East Rector Street in July 2024. Investigators described a grim and disturbing scene. Her body had been wrapped in a tarp and showed clear signs that she had been deceased for some time.
Authorities determined that Day had been bludgeoned to death, suffering more than 20 blows to the head. The murder weapon was identified as the claw end of a hammer, which forensic testing later confirmed contained DNA from both Day and Stanley.
Detectives said the violence was extreme and sustained, leaving little doubt about the cause of death. The state attorney’s office said it was immediately apparent that the victim had been dead for a significant period before her body was found.
Stanley, who shared the residence with Day, was questioned by major crimes detectives shortly after the discovery. She was arrested and charged with murder following the investigation.
Assistant State Attorney Blake Shore prosecuted the case, presenting forensic evidence and crime scene findings that led to Stanley’s conviction. On Jan. 9, a judge handed down the 40-year sentence, effectively ensuring Stanley will spend the remainder of her life in prison.
