West Virginia father sentenced for strangling his 6-month-old child to death
01/10/2023 11:28 am PST
JACKSON COUNTY, W.Va. (TCD) -- A father was recently sentenced to 15 years to life for the strangling death of his 6-month-old child.
According to The Parkersburg News and Sentinel, on Oct. 7, 2018, the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Charleston reported a possible shaken baby case. The victim reportedly succumbed to her injuries around 15 months later, on Jan. 8, 2020.
Jeffrey Todd Hoskins allegedly told authorities he was feeding his daughter and she began choking, lost consciousness, and stopped breathing. However, Hoskins changed his story and eventually said he started shaking the baby after she started choking, the Parkersburg New and Sentinel reports.
A household witness reportedly told authorities that Hoskins put his hand over the girl’s mouth as a way to stop her crying. Officials confronted Hoskins about the allegations, and he reportedly confessed to shaking and strangling the baby due to her crying.
The girl was reportedly on life support until her death.
Hoskins was arrested and charged with child abuse in 2018, WSAZ-TV reports. He was able to post bond and flee but was eventually found hiding in a home in Arnoldsburg.
On Feb. 23, 2022, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office announced that Hoskins was found guilty of child abuse resulting in death, strangulation, and involuntary manslaughter.
On Tuesday, Jan. 10, Hoskins was reportedly sentenced to one year in a regional jail for involuntary manslaughter and 15 years to life for the child abuse resulting in death charge. He was also ordered to serve one to five years in the department of corrections for strangulation, WSAZ reports.
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