A Lima man arrested in connection to the 2021 death of a 4-year-old last April was sentenced to 18 years to life in prison.
22-year-old Romiere Hale pleaded guilty to the charges of murder and endangering children. The charges stem from an incident that occurred on April 12th, 2021, where four-year-old Ma'Laya Dewitt was found unresponsive at a home on North Elizabeth Street. She later died at the hospital. Romiere Hale was the boyfriend of her mother Stayce Riley. A pathologist says Dewitt's injuries were a week old when she died and could have been the result of being punched by Hale.
"I just want you to know that I have no I'll will towards you. I forgive you. I only speak for myself. I can't speak for nobody else. But I forgive you. I hate to see you in that position… but you made your bed and you have to lie in it. And that's that harshest reality that you have to face," stated the grandfather of Ma'Laya Dewitt.
Riley is facing child endangering and involuntary manslaughter charges. Her trial is set for next month.
