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Stepmom Pleads Not Guilty To Murder In Scalded Boy's Death

WYSO | By Jerry Kenney
Published April 20, 2016 at 7:01 PM EDT

Defense attorneys have entered a not-guilty plea for an Ohio murder suspect accused of putting her 4-year-old stepson in scalding water as punishment the day before he was found dead.

 

The charges against 24-year-old Franklin resident Anna Ritchie also include involuntary manslaughter.

 

Judge Robert Peeler granted a prosecutor's request to increase Ritchie's bond Wednesday from $350,000 to $1 million. Ritchie could post 10 percent.

 

Prosecutors say Ritchie put Austin Cooper into water estimated at 130 degrees for at least 20 minutes to "teach him a lesson" in March. Prosecutors say the boy was bleeding and had skin coming off his legs.

Authorities concluded he died of shock from blood and fluid loss resulting from his burns.

Ritchie's trial is scheduled for late September.

 

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Jerry Kenney
Jerry Kenney was introduced to WYSO by a friend and within a year of first tuning in became an avid listener and supporter. He began volunteering at the station in 1991 and began hosting Alpha Rhythms in February of 1992. Jerry joined the WYSO staff in 2007 as a host of All Things Considered and soon transitioned into hosting Morning Edition. In addition to now hosting All Things Considered, Jerry is the host and producer of WYSO Weekend, WYSO's weekly news and arts magazine. He has also produced several radio dramas for WYSO in collaboration with local theater companies. Jerry has won several Ohio AP awards as well as an award from PRINDI for his work with the WYSO news department. Jerry says that the best part of his job is being able to talk to people in the community and share their experiences with WYSO listeners.
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