CINCINNATI -- The Hamilton County Prosecutor on Thursday indicted a man on a murder charge in the death of a 14-year-old boy.
Terry Stiles, 33, had been convicted of assaulting Carl Leggett Jr. in 2005 when Leggett was an infant, Prosecutor Joe Deters said. Leggett died 14 years later on May 18, 2019.
Stiles was convicted of felonious assault in 2005 and served the maximum sentence — eight years — in the Ohio Department of Correction and Rehabilitation, Deters said.
Police found Leggett “in distress” when they responded to his home on July 16, 2005, Deters said. The infant’s injuries were consistent with being beaten and shaken. Leggett had been under Stiles’ care at the time.
Leggett was never able to walk, see or eat normally, Deters said. His death was the result of complications from the traumatic brain injury and was ruled a homicide, according to a Hamilton County Coroner’s report.
“There is no reason to ever put your hands on a child,” Deters said in a written statement. “Terry Stiles went to prison for the original felonious assault charge in 2005 and should go back to prison for his murder.
“We anticipate a legal challenge given that Stiles has already served prison time, but we will mount a vigorous prosecution. Ultimately, Stiles caused the death of this child and should be held accountable.”
If convicted, Stiles could be sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.
