DAYTON — The man convicted of the murder of his girlfriend’s special-needs son now knows how long he’ll be in prison.
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Montgomery County Common Pleas Court Judge E. Gerald Parker Jr. sentenced Michael Kendrick to 20 years to life in prison on Thursday.
Since he has just shy of 18 months of jail time credit, Kendrick’s first shot at parole will come in about 18.5 years instead of 20.
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Kendrick, 40, pleaded guilty to several charges connected to the death of 7-year-old Hershall Creachbaum Jr., including murder.
As shown on News Center 7 at 5:00, Creachbaum Jr.’s family talked about the pain of losing him during Thursday’s sentencing.
“The grief is not something that I can describe all the way. It’s so heavy and numbing,” Hershall Creachbaum Sr., the boy’s father, said.
Creachbaum Jr.’s aunt, Karisma Creachbaum, told the court her nephew was “a light and the kindness that the world needed.”
“And evil took him away from us,” she added.
Kendrick admitted to investigators that he punched the 7-year-old twice. Creahbaum Jr. later died from those injuries, and Kendrick dumped the body.
Investigators found his remains weeks after his death.
Kendrick offered a tearful apology in court Thursday.
Judge Parker told him he “failed your responsibility to love and care for Hershall.”
Creachbaum Jr.’s family told News Center 7 that they were happy to not have to go through a trial, and say this sentencing has given them peace.
Ashley Johnson, Creachbaum Jr.’s mother, has also been charged in connection with this case. She’s currently set to appear back in court next week.
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