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Dayton, OH – A local man, Michael Mayor, 34, has been sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for the murder of one-year-old Vivian Gardner. Mayor was caring for the child on December 5, 2024, while his wife, a professional babysitter, took other children to school.
According to police reports, Mayor admitted to violently slamming Vivian’s head on the floor because she wouldn’t stop crying. He initially lied to his wife about the incident, claiming the child was napping.
Vivian’s mother subsequently called 911 when the infant remained unresponsive.
The child was rushed to the hospital with critical injuries, including a fractured skull and subdural hematoma, and tragically passed away on December 19th. Mayor was initially arrested on charges of felonious assault and child endangerment, but the charges were upgraded to murder following Vivian’s death.
Mayor initially pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity but later changed his plea to guilty on one count of murder. While the judge expressed a desire to impose a harsher sentence, she was bound by state law. Although Mayor wrote a letter of apology to the Gardner family, they remain unconvinced of his remorse and fear his eventual release.