WESTON, W. Va. — A couple has been sentenced for their involvement in the death of a Lewis County infant in 2012.
Christopher Sheppard will serve 15 years in jail and then 30 years of intensive post-release supervision, while the child’s mother, Julia Mick, will serve 3-15 years in prison and then 10 years of intensive post-release supervision.
Both will have to register as child abusers for 10 years.
The sentence was issued by Judge John Henning on Wednesday.
The baby is thought to have fallen out of a sink while Sheppard left the 14-month-old unattended a few years ago, the baby then hit his head and later passed away.
The State Medical Examiner’s Office said an autopsy revealed the baby had injuries which indicated physical assault leading up to its death.
Sheppard was charged with one count of death of a child by parent, guardian, or custodian or by other person by child abuse while Mick was charged with one count of child neglect resulting in death back in 2013.