This story has been updated with a new date for the defendants’ arraignments.
Three people charged in connection with the killing of a 7-year-old Oakley boy are not currently facing the death penalty as a possible sentence but may in the future, according to Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich.
Kaitlin Evans, Kirby Rankin and Nessa Keaney are indicted in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court on more than a dozen counts, including aggravated murder, kidnapping and child endangering. The charges come after the boy was found dead and severely abused inside a residence on Madison Road last week.
The three face up to life in prison without parole, although authorities are investigating whether the case meets the legal requirements for a capital murder prosecution, Pillich told reporters on Aug. 13.
She added that Cincinnati police homicide detectives continue to gather evidence and additional details are expected to emerge as the investigation progresses. The death penalty may be revisited in the future, Pillich said, depending on what investigators uncover.
Pillich last called for the death penalty in the case of Rodney Hinton, the man accused of killing a Hamilton County Sheriff’s deputy last year. The prosecutor made the decision six days after the deputy’s death. Prosecutors have since decided to not go for the death penalty because of Hinton’s mental state.
Trio ‘failed miserably as parents,’ Pillich says
The trio lived together and acted as coparents to 7-year-old William Evans-Ellis, who died of blunt force trauma to the head and was found Aug. 6 restrained with duct tape inside the closet of an apartment on Madison Road, officials said.
“They failed miserably as parents,” Pillich said. “They committed atrocious acts, causing this child to suffer terribly.”
Hamilton County Coroner Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco previously said that William was likely dead for about a day before his body was found. The boy suffered weeks of severe abuse leading up to his death, officials said, with an arm fracture and too many bruises to count.
Detectives have said there was evidence of beatings and possible burns on William’s body, as well as signs that he was choked while being held underwater. Cincinnati police officers were sent to William’s home after a woman who identified herself as his mother walked into an emergency room and told hospital staff her partner was trying to kill her and had taken her son.
“I don’t believe a human being is supposed to see something like this,” Cincinnati Police Chief Adam Hennie said, acknowledging the work of first responders and investigators called to the crime scene.
Authorities have yet to say what kind of weapon was used to kill William. While she pointed out that all three people lived together and shared the responsibility of caring for the boy, Pillich declined to say what circumstances underlie the kidnapping charges.
“As for all of these monstrous crimes that were committed,” Pillich said, “I’m going to do everything I can to make sure these people never again see the light of day and never again have the opportunity to harm another child.”
Evans, Rankin and Keaney are all being held in custody at the Hamilton County Justice Center awaiting trial. They’re expected to appear in court for an arraignment on Aug. 14.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Pillich says death penalty may be revisited in killing of 7-year-old
Reporting by David Ferrara and Quinlan Bentley, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By David Ferrara and Quinlan Bentley, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
