A woman accused of killing her four-year-old stepson by using scalding hot water to punish him has been charged with murder. The two murder charges are punishable by at least 15 years in prison.
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Warren County prosecutor David Fornshell said that the water was approximately 134 degrees.
Peeler granted the high bond, but did permit the 10 percent rule, noting Ritchie has no previous criminal record and is low risk to not appear for court, according to pre-trial services.
Authorities said the 4-year-old boy was placed in a bathtub filled with 135-degree water and held down for at least 20 minutes.
Fornshell says the boy was bleeding and had skin coming off his legs when Ritchie put him to bed without treatment.
The boy’s father, Robert Ritchie III, was reportedly aware of his wife’s violent behavior.
Anna Ritchie, 25, is facing six felony charges, including two charges of murder, felonious assault, involuntary manslaughter, and two counts of endangering children, in connection with the death of Austin Cooper, Cincinnati.com reported.
The dispatcher asked Ritchie to try resuscitating the 4-year-old.
Austin’s grandmother, Sheri Gredig, told WCPO, “Anna Ritchie is pure evil”.
Subsequently, Fornshell said Ritchie allegedly put Cooper in pajamas and socks and put him to bed.
“I can’t think of any scenario. where you would do that to a child”, Fornshell said, adding that the burn was “a completely treatable injury”.
The Franklin County coroner concluded that Cooper died of shock from blood and fluid loss as a result of his burns.
“That’s the most horrific part of it”, Fornshell said.
Ritchie’s attorney declined to comment on the case.
The prosecutor said Ritchie and Austin’s father, Robert Ritchie, became the child’s custodial parents in January, and Anna resented being a primary caregiver. Medical experts believe that he would have had a 95 percent chance of survival if he had been treated within 2 hours of the deadly bath.
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Ritchie will be arraigned Wednesday morning.
