A babysitter whose temperamental beatings caused the death of a toddler was found guilty of murder, involuntary manslaughter and endangering children late Friday night in Butler County court.
Lindsay Partin, 36, called 911 herself on March 8, 2018, when 3-year-old Hannah Wesche collapsed shortly after being dropped off by her parents. She claimed then she didn’t know what had happened to the girl — Hannah had simply fallen limp to the ground.
First responders who arrived that day, however, discovered pre-existing bruises on her head and face. Partin would later confess to angrily striking and shaking Hannah, who died days later at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, because the girl had poured ketchup in the toilet.
"I got mad and I just slapped her up the side of the head," Partin said during police questioning. "I shook her and I remember picking her up and squeezing her."
Judge Greg Stephens cautioned the court against emotional responses to the verdict before it was read.
“Any emotional outbursts from anybody, you will be immediately removed from this courtroom and this building,” he said.
There were none. Partin held her chin in her hand, covering her mouth, and stared silently down at the defense’s desk. Members of Wesche's family cried quietly from the gallery.
“We’ve been waiting for this for 13 months," father Jason Wesche said. "This is a huge, huge deal for us, and we are extraordinarily happy.”
Partin's murder conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison with parole eligibility after 15 years. She will be formally sentenced May 9.
