LEBANON, Ohio (AP) - A retrial has begun for the father of a 4-year-old southwest Ohio boy who died after the boy’s stepmother put him in a scalding bath.
Prosecutors contend the father, 31-year-old Robert Ritchie, failed to get medical treatment that could have saved Austin Cooper’s life. The defense has said that Ritchie’s wife covered up her crime.
Ritchie’s second trial began Monday with the selection of a jury. His first trial ended in a mistrial when Warren County jurors couldn’t reach a verdict in December.
The 31-year-old Franklin man pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and child endangering charges.
Anna Ritchie pleaded guilty to charges including murder in Austin’s March 2016 death. She was sentenced to at least 18 years in prison.
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