A Sacramento County man was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison this week for the brutal murder of his girlfriend's 5-year-old son in a case that shocked the Arden Arcade community. Jason Chitnis received the maximum sentence yesterday following his June conviction on charges of first-degree murder and assault on a child under 8 causing death.
According to ABC10, Chitnis was in a relationship with Dyamond Hudson in 2021 and took care of her 5-year-old son while she was at work. Over several weeks, prosecutors said Chitnis systematically abused the child, causing fractures to his ribs and pelvis and perforating his large intestine.
The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office first responded to the 2500 block of Fair Oaks Boulevard on August 3, 2021, to assist Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District with a medical emergency involving a child who was not breathing. As reported by Fox 40, a medical evaluation revealed the boy had been subjected to abuse. The child died two days later on August 5, 2021.
Mother's Complicity Leads to Prison Term
Hudson, the victim's mother, was sentenced to 12 years and 8 months in state prison after pleading guilty to child endangerment causing death and willful infliction of cruel and inhuman corporal punishment. The Sacramento County District Attorney's Office said Hudson was aware that Chitnis was physically abusing her son but continued to leave the child in his care.
The abuse escalated to the point where Chitnis caused a traumatic brain injury on August 3, 2021, that ultimately resulted in the boy's death, according to ABC10. Chitnis was arrested on suspicion of homicide on August 17, 2021, while Hudson was arrested on August 25, 2021.
Growing Child Abuse Crisis
This case highlights Sacramento County's ongoing struggle with child abuse cases. Statistics from the National Children's Alliance show that Children's Advocacy Centers served 372,613 children experiencing allegations of abuse nationwide in 2024, with many cases involving severe physical trauma like that suffered by Hudson's son.
The sentencing brings closure to a case that wound through the Sacramento County Superior Court system for nearly four years. Hudson will not face prison time for homicide charges, as prosecutors accepted her plea to lesser charges. Chitnis will be eligible for parole consideration only after serving 25 years, though parole is not guaranteed under California's life sentence structure.
