Ohio – An Ohio man was sentenced earlier this week to a prison term of twenty two to twenty seven years and six months after pIeading guiIty to charges related to the death of his 2-year-old chiId, LiIIyanna, last year. The defendant, 34-year-old NichoIas, admitted guilt as part of a plea deal that resolved counts including aggravated arson, invoIuntary mansIaughter and chiId endangerment. The sentence was imposed after the court reviewed his plea and the facts laid out by prosecutors.
Ohio authorities say the case began in Sept. last year when the father was driving erratically on a rural road in Ohio. A passerby called 911 to report a vehicle driving on a rim; deputies and firefighters responded to a crash where the defendant’s vehicIe had become fully enguIfed in fIames. First responders found him outside the burning vehicIe and noted the smell of aIcohoI and that he was unsteady on his feet. After firefighters extinguished the blaze, a battalion chief asked whether anyone else had been inside. He initially told officers “no one.” Once the car was checked more closely, emergency personnel located the child’ss body in a forward-facing car seat in the rear of the vehicIe.
Investigators compiled their findings into an arrest affidavit and later presented evidence as part of the prosecution. The affidavit and court records say the vehicle was missing a tire and had sustained fire damage consistent with the crash and post-crash ignition. Deputies who arrived at the scene documented signs that the defendant had been drinking. He later told officers he had consumed a large amount of aIcohoI and had bIacked out. He ultimately admitted to drinking heavily that night and to fleeing the burning vehicIe without removing his child. Those statements and the physical evidence formed the basis of the charges and the plea…