A Kinston father will spend more than two decades in prison after admitting to killing his infant son, a case that has weighed on Lenoir County since 2022. On March 9, 2026, 26-year-old Ricardo Battle was sentenced for the death of his 5-month-old son, Kayceon Battle, bringing a painful chapter for the family and community to a legal close.
According to a post by the Kinston Police Department, Battle was sentenced on March 9 to 240 months for second-degree murder and another eight months for possessing a weapon while in custody. The hearing was handled by Judge Pate, and police credited coordinated work by investigators and prosecutors with bringing the case to its conclusion.
WITN reported that Kayceon died in April 2022 after suffering multiple injuries, and that an initial felony child abuse charge was later upgraded to second-degree murder as the investigation developed. The outlet noted that Battle’s prison term was set to run from roughly 20 years and 8 months to about 26 and a half years in state custody.
How Detectives Built the Case
In its post, the Kinston Police Department said detectives reviewed surveillance video and assembled a detailed timeline of the events leading up to the baby’s death before the plea was entered. Investigators and partner agencies were thanked for work that officials said helped prosecutors secure the outcome in court.
Guilty Plea Ends Criminal Proceedings
Battle pleaded guilty in Lenoir County District Court, which meant the case ended without going to a jury trial, WITN reported. Under the judge’s order, he now faces a lengthy state prison term with a minimum stretching beyond 20 years.
The sentence formally closes the criminal side of the 2022 case and leaves a community that closely followed the investigation with at least some measure of legal resolution, as local officials pointed to joint work by investigators and prosecutors in reaching the result.
