ELYRIA, Ohio — A former babysitter has been found to be responsible for the death of a 3-month-old Lorain boy more than six years ago.
The 19-year-old woman, who was just 13 at the time of the incident, was found to be delinquent of both involuntary manslaughter and reckless homicide Friday in Lorain County Juvenile Court. 3News is not sharing the individual's name since she was a minor when she committed the crimes.
The infant, Nicholas Cooper, was found dead inside his crib on March 26, 2017. Police noted he felt cold to the touch with dried blood on his nose and marks on his face, and the county coroner later ruled he died from blunt force trauma to the head.
The babysitter claimed she had fed Nicholas and rocked him to sleep before taking a nap, only being awoken when the child's mother Jovan Cooper yelled to call 911. However, Cooper later told WKYC her 4-year-old daughter — one of three other children the teen was also watching at the time — told her the babysitter hit Nicholas when he wouldn't stop crying, striking him in the head and face "several" times.
"This is somebody that I knew and trusted," a devastated Cooper said back in 2017, "that had loved my children, I thought, taken good care of my kids, played with my kids, and I treated her as if she [were] my family."
The suspect will face sentencing within the next month, but since she is now an adult, it is unknown if she could face time behind bars. Lorain County Prosecutor J.D. Tomlinson, who was elected more than three years after Nicholas' killing, released the following statement:
"This case has been on my radar since I took office because it involves a horrible crime that left a baby dead and a family forever shaken. While justice may have been delayed in this case, the adjudication of [the suspect] sends a clear message that the Prosecutor's Office will be relentless in holding offenders accountable and that in the end, justice will win.
"I want to thank my assistant prosecutors, Detective Sivert, and all the members of law enforcement who investigated and presented this matter. I especially want to send my continued condolences to Nicholas's family and my great hope that the adjudication in this case will help bring them comfort and closure."