Tragedy has struck in Jefferson County as two individuals, Chelsea Marsh and Nicholas Lay, have entered guilty pleas in connection with the untimely death of a 2-month-old infant, court documents reveal. The duo was initially charged in October after a distressing scene where firefighters arrived at a Lowery Loop Road home to a non-breathing baby; despite CPR efforts, he was pronounced dead at Jefferson Memorial Hospital, according to reports from WVLT News.
Marsh and Lay faced multiple charges including aggravated child neglect and abuse, in addition to possession of Schedule VI marijuana for resale and drug paraphernalia, they however pled guilty to the drug offenses as well as the lesser charge of child neglect and abuse, court records disclosed by WVLT News showed. They each received a two-year prison sentence, which could be mitigated to supervised probation after serving six months behind bars as per the court's judgment.
The tragedy occurred on a grim October evening, when Jefferson County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched following a 6:34 p.m. call about the child who was subsequently pronounced dead despite New Market firefighters' and EMS's resuscitation attempts, WATE detailed.
In a separate but similarly heartbreaking case, Dillon Butikofer from Jefferson County has agreed to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter for the death of his 3-month-old son, Ashtonn. The young father had been accused of shaking and squeezing the infant while attempting a diaper change leading to the baby's hospitalization and ultimate death on October 7, as described by Post Register.
Butikofer's plea agreement, entered this past December waived his right to a preliminary hearing and jury trial and while prosecutors seek a combined sentence of up to 15 years—a fixed three-year term plus an indeterminate period of 12 years, Butikofer hopes to be placed on probation; according to the details laid out in the plea agreement obtained by the Post Register.
